Something Lost, Something Found
by Ellie October
Summary: Kairi is back in Japan, but she's transformed into a shy, nervous girl with hydrophobia.. and for good reason. Onesided jealousy soon tears two friends apart, and an anonymous person seems to know more than they should about Kairi. Things take an unexpected turn when she trusts someone who has already decided to seal her fate. Rated M for content/language/violence. Mainly HaruxOC.
1. Welcome Back?

Chapter 1: Welcome Back?

* * *

_Three years ago_

_**Kou's POV**_

_I watched my best friend Kairi grab her bags as her parents and baby brother boarded the plane. I didn't want her to leave._

"_Kai-chan! Why do you have to leave to go to America and leave me here in Japan?!"_

_My best friend, Nakanishi Kairi, smiled to me._

"_I want to go study in a different place and see the sights there. Besides, my dad got a job there and said I can come back in three years if I want to."_

_I shook my head. "No! I won't let you!"_

_Kairi seemed to almost smirk as she reached into her shirt and pulled out a heart-shaped locket. "Don't you remember these?"_

_I nodded and reached into my own shirt as well, pulling one out that looked identical to hers._

"_Well, I won't ever take this off when I'm in public, okay? That way I'll remember you, and I can come back in three years and still remember you! Will you remember me, too?"_

_I laughed as I nodded, feeling a familiar lump build up in my throat._

"_I'll do the same! I'll wear it to school every day, to the mall, to the beach… anywhere I go! I won't forget you, Kai-chan!"_

_Kairi only seemed to nod as she rubbed her locket and slid it back inside her shirt. Picking up her bags again, she turned around._

"_I won't forget you either, Kou-chan."_

_My eyes filled with tears as I watched my black-haired, purple-eyed, tanned friend walk away. I looked away for a moment to wipe my tears away, and she was gone._

_I hadn't seen her since, or even talked to her over the phone, sent letters… nothing. It was as if she had disappeared off of the face of the earth. _

_That is, until my first year at Iwatobi High. I had managed to make other friends since then, and the year had so far been great, even though my brother had recently come back to Japan from Australia and changed for the worst. _

_So far, the highlight of my year has been creating the swim club with Haru-sempai, Mako-san, Nagi-san, and Rei-san. Not to mention me, Matsuoka Kou, being the manager of all these hot guys? I mean, what more could a teenage girl ask for?_

* * *

**Kou's POV**

It had been a normal day so far, it was lunch time and I was catching up with my friends.

"Yuu-chan, how was Calculus?" I asked, eating a baloney and cheese sandwich and wiping my mouth.

Yuki was eating the same. "Normal; I didn't understand a damn thing!"

We both laughed and turned to Hitomi. "How was the class _you_ had before lunch?"

She seemed to groan. "You mean Phys. Ed? It was great, if you call falling on your face and embarrassing yourself great."

Yuki frowned. "Aww! Poor Hitomi-chan!"

I seemed to zone out of their conversation when I glanced at the table next to ours.

"Hey, did you hear a new kid was transferring here from America?"

My heart seemed to skip a beat. _"America? Could it be…? No."_

I shook my head. The chances of it being my best friend, Kairi, the most bubbly person I had ever met in my entire life, were slim. I'm talking one-in-a-million. Maybe even billion.

The kids at the table next to mine kept talking, though.

"Really? America? I've never been there, I wonder if it's a boy or a girl."

"Nah, it's a girl. On the seating chart when Takumi-sempai was taking roll, he called out a girl's name. I don't remember her first name, but he corrected himself saying that she should be flying in from America soon; later today. Her last name was… uh…"

The brown haired boy began snapping his fingers, trying to remember the name. I egged him on under my breath.

"C'mon… remember!"

"Did you say something, Kou?" Yuki turned to me, her green eyes piercing my red ones.

"N-no. I'm just listening in to this conversation-"

My eyes snapped back to the table as the kid raised his hand in triumph. "Okay, I remember now, Nakanishi. I don't remember the first name…"

I felt my entire body relax almost immediately. It was her. I would finally be able to see my best friend after three years. Ah, I'd have to show her around _everywhere. _I'd even make her meet everyone.

"Kairi." I whispered, letting the memories of my best friend fly through my mind as I took ahold of my locket.

"_I won't forget you either, Kou-chan."_ The high-pitched voice of my friend struck me right in the heart as I jumped up and raced to the table that was talking about her.

"Do any of you know when exactly Kai-… the new kid is going to be here?"

All of the kids, who were mostly guys, stared up at me.

"Uh… no. But that was my first class of the day, so it could be… now, I guess."

I turned around, feeling numb. I hadn't been prepared to see my best friend for the first time since the beginning of middle school _today._

I wasn't mentally prepared to see her again. Had she changed? If so, into what? Was it going to be like my brother all over again?

"_Rin only changed because he wanted to become stronger than Haru-senpai. I don't think I could see Kai-chan turning into someone like him."_

Shaking all of the thoughts out of my head, I sat back down near my friends.

"Why are you so riled up about the new kid?" Hitomi seemed to almost glare at me with her hazel eyes.

I smiled. "Well, before she moved to America, she was my best friend. I was trying to figure out if the new kid was _actually_ her, and it is. If you hadn't seen your best friend in three years, wouldn't you be excited, too?"

Yuki nodded. "I suppose."

The bell rung, telling everyone to get back to class as I discarded my half-eaten sandwich and hurried to class.

As usual, I was the first to sit down in my cooking class.

Glancing at the door, it opened. Quite unusual; it was usually three minutes and three seconds after I had sat down in this class for another person to come in.

The door opened and a nearly unfamiliar girl stepped in with long black hair and purple eyes and tanned skin, reflecting how pale I was compared to her. As usual.

_As usual._

The thought hit me and I immediately stood up.

"Kai-chan?!"

The girl looked up at me and her purple eyes reflected mine. "Kou-chan…?"

"_There's that familiar lump again…"_ I thought as I wiped my eyes and ran toward her, hugging her.

"I missed you! I can't believe you're back from America!"

I felt Kairi tense up as she stared at me and pulled away.

"Um… where-where do I sit?"

The fear in her eyes was very evident. _"She HAS changed."_

**Kairi's POV**

I set my eyes on Kou for the first time in three years, and I still couldn't fight my immediate sense of panic.

"_How long have I been this shy?"_

Asking myself that question, I _knew_ how long I had been shy, and I _knew_ why.

Kou seemed confused as she led me to a seat near the back of the room and sat by me. "We usually have free seating in this particular class. I can show you around after this class; school will be over and you can come to practice!"

"_Practice?"_

I held my hands together under the desk. "I-um… practice…?"

Kou smiled, punching me in the arm playfully, even though I felt a bruise coming on.

"Swimming practice! I'm the manager of the swim team."

"_Swim team… water…"_ I shuddered and shook my head. "I-I'm scared of water, Kou-chan. I don't think I can-"

"No, silly! You don't have to swim! I just want you to meet the four guys on the team… and Miss Ama, of course!"

I stared at my best friend; she hadn't changed one bit, as far as I could tell.

"_I wish I hadn't changed, I wish… none of it had ever happened… I wish I could… become my old self again."_

**Kou's POV**

"_She's changed… but I'm not sure if it's for the better or for the worst. Instead of being bubbly and happy like she was back in the day, she's all gloomy and shy."_

I wanted to ask what had happened to her in the last few years, but the bell rang and cooking class began. I hadn't even noticed everyone walking in; I had been so focused on talking to Kairi.

As the class went on, I found myself drifting into thought. What could have happened to Kairi that made her change like this? Would she ever change back?

I touched the locket inside my shirt. _"I wish I had the old Kairi back. Maybe she'll open up once she meets some of the guys. They're kind of a handful."_

Biting back a smile, I glanced at her. Kairi seemed ultimately focused on the lesson being taught, which I hadn't even bothered to even really look at.

"_She was never like this before…"_

After class, I caught up to her as the last bell rang, signaling practice for all after-school sports.

"Kairi! Come with me to swim practice!"

Her purple eyes opened wide as she backed away from me. "Why?"

I rolled my eyes at her cautiousness. "I want you to meet some people, remember?"

Kairi nodded. "Right."

We fell in step with each other as I began to engage in conversation. "How was America?"

My best friend's eyes wandered away. "It was… okay. Different."

"Did anything happen there that you'd like to tell me about…?"

Kairi stopped in her tracks as she looked up at me. "Um… if you have time…"

I nodded, ushering the two of us to a bench. "I've always got time. We're best friends, remember?"

**Kairi's POV**

I felt my entire body lock up as I sat down on the bench and stared at my red-eyed, red-haired friend.

"_Do I have to tell her?" "You should." "But she'll feel sorry for me." "But if you don't tell her, she won't know why you've locked yourself away like this."_

My conscience battled itself as I took a gulp and forced myself to stop shaking. I took a deep breath and started.

"Well… when I was in America, I was kinda on the weird side to other people. I didn't have many friends. But… but then, last year, I met this guy. His name… his name was…"

* * *

"_My name's Tyler. Tyler Redgrove. Who are you?"_

_I looked up at him proudly. "MY name is Nakanishi Kairi!"_

_Tyler's green cap slid off of his head and onto the ground. He bent over to pick it up as he smiled at me. _

"_Your name is Nakanishi?"_

"_No? My name is Kairi, my surname is Nakanishi!" My exasperation was at an all-time high as I stared into his cocky, nutmeg brown eyes._

_He laughed at me. "Well, that's an odd last name. C'mon, let's go to the track meet. My friends and I are competing. You wanna come watch?"_

_My cheeks flared up; not once, here in America, had a guy ever asked me to go anywhere with him, much less watch him play a sport._

* * *

"I played along with him, and soon I guess we became more than friends. He decided to ask me out… and I suddenly became 'cool', I guess."

Kou seemed quite into my story as she nodded. "I see."

* * *

_Everyone here knew my name, who I was, who I was with. Tyler and I had been dating for a week now, and he said he had a surprise for me for our week anniversary. To see it, I had to go to his house that night._

_I journeyed there after school, and halfway there, he caught up to me and walked beside me. His demeanor was different than it was earlier. He seemed sharper, angrier._

_As we got to his doorstep, I touched the door and he put his hand over mine, shoving it back to me. The force behind his anger shocked me as I began shaking._

"_Tyler…? What's the matter?"_

_His only response to me was a growl and he disappeared inside the house, expecting me to follow. _

_It was dark, as if no one was home, and he seemed to stop in the middle of the living room._

"_Kairi."_

_The resentment in his voice startled me as I looked around, only able to see outlines. In the winter, it was only 5pm and it was already dark._

"_Hmm? Tyler, can you turn on a light or something? It's dark…"_

"_I don't care. Kairi, did you sleep with Steven?" _

_The shock of the question was enough to make me sway on my feet. "What? Who's Steven? What are you talking about?"_

_Tyler got closer to me and grabbed my wrist, holding it so tightly that I thought he was going to break it. _

"_Don't fucking lie to me, you whore. Did you sleep with my best friend?"_

"_No! Tyler, why would I do that? I don't even know who he is. Why would you even THINK I'd do something like that?!"_

_His face got so close to mine that I could see his dark eyes now, livid and full of hate… hate for ME._

"_He told me. Steven told me you slept with him and said you told him not to tell me because you wanted to sleep with ME, too. He said your plan was to have him on the side because you liked the way he did things to you, is this true?"_

_My eyes seemed to spaz as I couldn't see clearly. "N-no… I would NEVER do that… why would he lie…"_

_My head suddenly jerked to one side as I was thrust to the ground after a sudden slap. _

"_I told you not to fucking lie to me. But you're done hurting me now, stupid… whore…" Tyler reached into his back pocket, pulling out something shiny. I realized that this 'shiny' thing was a gun as he put it to my head._

"_I even went out of my way to get this for you. That way, I can put one of these fancy bullets into your stupid whore head!"_

_I was so numb I couldn't even scream. I hadn't done anything with his friend… I didn't even know who he was, and now Tyler, my boyfriend, had decided he wanted to kill me because of his best friend's word?_

"_He has absolutely no physical proof and he's already decided on murder…" _

_I closed my eyes, breathing in as tears streamed down my face. _

"_Go ahead, Tyler! Do it! Trust your friend over me! I didn't do anything to or with him! Why don't you believe me?"_

_I heard him draw in a shaky breath. "Die, bitch."_

_The gun should have gone off, but it made a clicking sound. I felt myself shaking now. I should be dead. Why wasn't I dead?_

_Tyler was in shock, too. "Damn thing, what the hell."_

_He clicked the trigger again, aiming it at me, but it still didn't go off. My breath caught in my throat anyway as I struggled to scoot away from him._

_Tyler pointed the gun at himself, laughing. "Hey, maybe I can pretend to shoot myself since the damn thing won't even shoot."_

_He clicked the trigger as he pointed the gun at his heart, and all it made was a clicking sound again._

_His laugh was maniacal. "See, Kairi? I can't kill you with this damn thing! I'll just pretend to shoot at you and you can feel pain when you flinch. Every time you flinch, I'll hit you. This is your surprise! Later, I'll kill you. You just wait, bitch."_

_I shook my head. "Tyler, please stop! I didn't do anything wrong! I didn't sleep with your best friend! I promise! Please!"_

_Tyler got his head up-close to mine again. "Wrong? You didn't do ANYTHING wrong? Seeing that you prefer my best friend over me hurt me, bitch. I'll hurt you back; and the only way for you to feel the pain I'm feeling now, is for me to kill you. I mean, damn, might as well have put the gun in my mouth and shot me, like this."_

_He put the gun into his mouth and stared into my eyes. He pulled the trigger as if he suspected it to click again, but it didn't. It went off and blood spattered all over the walls._

_I felt his head fall into my lap and the gun fall to my side. I shut my eyes, telling myself this wasn't real._

"_It's not real, you're dreaming. You fell asleep in class again, Kairi. You'll wake up and you'll see Tyler smiling at you telling you that you're going to go on a movie date with him again."_

_I opened my eyes and looked down at my lap and I could see Tyler's blank, dead eyes staring up at me, as if to call me all of the names he did all over again. As if I was the cause of his death._

_That's when I felt it. The blood from his fatal wound seeping through my clothes and soaking me. It felt just like a bath or a hot tub as I pushed Tyler's head off of me._

_I began whimpering as Tyler's hand right hand, the one he had held my wrist with, began twitching in random spasms for a moment, then went limp as his dead, glazed over eyes locked into mine._

_I lost all control over my own body as it finally registered in my mind what had happened. I began screaming, losing control, crying, breathing heavily. It was all my fault I had lost him._

* * *

By the end of the story, I felt my eyes begin to water. "It's all my fault. If I had gotten him to believe me, he never would have killed himself…"

Kou stared at me, seeming lost for words. "I'm so sorry…" I could tell she was on the verge of crying as well, and then her eyes widened in understanding.

"Is… is the blood the reason you're-"

"Afraid of large bodies of water? Yes."

I had been terrified of water ever since feeling all of that blood seeping onto me. I mean, who wouldn't? I couldn't even really get _near_ a pool because of it. I didn't like baths either; I would only take showers. Even _that_ was enough to freak me out.

Ever since the incident, I had changed. Even though I had done nothing wrong, I had been the cause of the death of someone I cared about. I hadn't been able to talk to many people ever since, and besides telling the authorities that I hadn't done anything wrong and he shot himself, Kou was the only one who knew this side of the story.

**Kou's POV**

I couldn't even get over how much pain my best friend must have felt throughout her last few months in America, and I suddenly understood how she _had_ to come back to Japan.

She couldn't take being away from Japan. Everything must have been so much different there that she had to come back.

I could see the tears in her eyes as she wiped them, and I tried to change the subject.

"Did your parents and your brother come back, too?"

Kairi shook her head. "No… my parents are staying because of my father's job, and my brother doesn't want to leave his friends in America. I'm here alone… but my family _did_ keep our old home… I guess they knew I'd come back. That's where I live."

I stood up, grabbing my best friend's hand. "I hope we're not late! I totally lost track of time! Shoot! C'mon, Kai-chan! Let's go!"

**Kairi's POV**

As I was dragged off to wherever Kou-chan was taking me, I thought back to that fateful day.

Maybe, just maybe… what had happened had happened for a reason. To bring me back to Kou-chan and meet her friends. To bring me back to my birthplace; Japan.

"_I hope her friends are nicer than the ones I had in America."_

That was my only thought as I kept moving to keep up with Kou-chan.

* * *

Haha! Guess who? Yeah, I recently got into this anime, and _this_ son-of-a-gun idea popped into my head. This one's gonna be great; I've actually got it all planned out!

Not only that, but aye love this series ;-;

Also, I will be putting up a poll (maybe) for my readers to give their insight on which of the boys my OC should be shipped with based on her attitude. (MAYBE)

Again, I absolutely love my plot for this one, even if it is a little… violent and different for me. Ya know?

Rate/Review! :3


	2. Special Treatment

_Flashback:_

_Maybe, just maybe… what had happened had happened for a reason. To bring me back to Kou-chan and meet her friends. To bring me back to my birthplace; Japan._

Chapter 2: Special Treatment

**Kou's POV**

"_We're late," _I groaned inwardly. "_I hope none of them are crying or anything."_

Kairi suddenly pulled out of my grasp. "Um… do you… do you think they'll like me…?"

I stopped and looked back at my shy friend. She was nearly shaking with fear, it seemed like.

Laughing, I smiled. "Kai-chan, these guys like just about everyone. I don't see why they wouldn't like you."

Kairi seemed to look away for a minute, and as she looked back, a light smile engulfed her features.

"I guess you're right."

We seemed to smile at each other for a little more than a minute, and we took off. I had to make sure she was following me half the time, though.

Once we reached the doors to get to the pool, I stopped.

"Don't be nervous, Kai-chan. They're all going to like you; I can probably promise you that."

Kairi nodded back and I opened the door. The smell of chlorine hit my nose, just as it always did, and I ran out to the pool.

All four of the boys were stretching, as usual, and Nagisa ran up to me.

"Gou! We were starting to think you weren't coming!"

The familiar rage bubbled up in my throat. "My name is _Kou,_ Nagisa!"

**Kairi's POV**

I ventured out onto the pool grounds and noticed a blonde boy run up to Kou, calling her Gou.

Smiling, I glanced around.

One thing I noticed was a guy stretching and muttering formulas under his breath.

Another one, a brown haired boy, slowly approached Kou and the blonde boy as I walked as fast as I could manage toward them.

That's when I stopped dead; the water. It was so close to me. My eyes began hazing over with red, and soon everything was red. The ground, my hands… it was all covered in blood.

Tyler's blood.

I shook my head, trying to shake the thought out of my head completely.

"_This is why I don't get near water… why am I near the water… I need to get out of here…"_

There was no doubt in my mind I had underestimated my eternal fear of large bodies of water. Every time I got near one, I thought about Tyler and how it was _my_ fault I let him kill himself.

"Hey! Kairi! Are you even listening?!"

Startled, I flew back a step, opening my eyes. Kou was staring at me, along with both the blonde boy and the brown-haired boy.

"C'mon; don't be shy!"

Kou encouraged me with a smile, and I felt my spittle slide down my throat as I swallowed it nervously.

My fear of getting to know other people had prevented anything like the Tyler incident from happening ever since, but that may change now.

I took a few steps toward the three, feeling my legs become jelly and wobbly as I forced myself to stand behind my best friend.

"Kai-chan… this is Hazuki Nagisa. Nagisa, this is Nakanishi Kairi."

I nodded as Nagisa smiled brightly. "Hi, Kairi! You're best friends with Gou? Cool! Are you here to join the swim team? That'd be cool. Can you swim? No? Aww. We're in need-"

The brown-haired boy saved me from answering all of the questions as he put his hand over Nagisa's motor-mouth.

"Nagi-san, quiet down. You're probably scaring her."

I nodded in appreciation and he smiled at me. "Hello, Kairi. I'm Tachibana Makoto. Most just call me Mako, though."

His hand flashed toward me for a handshake, and I felt my heart jump and I hid behind Kou.

Mako laughed a little. "You're right, Kou; she _is_ shy."

Kou seemed to smirk as she put her hands up to her face. "Hey, Rei! Get over here and introduce yourself!"

The stretching guy got up and posed in front of me. "My name is Ryūgazaki Rei. I swim because it is, indeed, beauty."

I nodded. _"How do I take this guy seriously…?"_

Kou seemed to look around frantically. "Where's Haru-senpai?"

Mako shrugged, looking toward the pool. "Where do you think?"

My best friend seemed to sigh as she hurried toward the pool. "Haru-senpai! Get outta the pool! As your manager, I have to take you to meet someone!"

"Not now, Kou." A quiet voice answered as the water made its water-y noise and Kou stomped back toward us. "Why is it that he _never_ listens to me?"

Mako shrugged. "I don't know, maybe it's because he finally _just_ got into the water after waiting for you to arrive. When we _finally_ assumed you probably wouldn't be here, we could hardly restrain him from stripping down like usual. His water fetish always comes first."

Kou seemed to laugh at the last sentence and I felt my eyebrow rise. _"Water fetish…? How can someone like water so unconditionally?..."_

"Kairi, Haru-senpai is not only the best swimmer of all of us… his art of feeling the water is the epitome of beauty itself!" The weird Rei guy made me shudder as I nodded, trying to avoid as much conversation with him as possible.

Nagisa seemed to get closer to my face and I felt myself back up instinctively. "You're _definitely_ right, Gou! She really _doesn't_ talk much. Almost like Haru-chan!"

Kou growled. "My name is _Kou._ Not only that, but Kairi hasn't talked to many people since she came back from America. I guess she's just getting used to the idea of being back in Japan."

"_Why are they talking about me like I'm not here…?"_

The very thought of that made my old self twinge on the inside. Before I had changed, I always had to be noticed. I was never quiet, and I'd say I was on the hyper side of things 24/7.

Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I watched a boy get out of the pool, shaking his head. His jet black hair flew back and forth, flinging droplets of water all over the place.

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa smiled as he hurried up to the wet boy. "C'mon; come meet Kai-chan!"

I felt another twinge of wrongdoing hit my insides. _"I barely know his first name, and he's already calling me –chan."_

The boy stared at me. I don't know what it was… he was different from the others. I had been nervous walking up to them… not him.

"Nanase Haruka. Haru."

"Um… Nakanishi Kairi. Just Kairi, though."

Haru's deep blue eyes stuck with me as he turned and leapt back into the pool.

"Hey, he actually _looked_ at you for a bit while speaking to you. Consider yourself lucky." Kou spoke to me sarcastically, making Mako crack up for a minute.

Nagisa stared up at me. "So… have you come to join the swim club, Kai-chan?"

Immediately, I shook my head. "I-I'm afraid of… of lots of water in one place."

Nagisa's eyebrows knitted together. "What? Why? Water is great!"

Mako smiled a sad, understanding smile. "I don't think that's information that she wants to disclose, Nagi-san."

I felt my cheeks heat up in embarrassment. I wasn't here to talk about my fear of water. I was only here because Kou told me that I needed to meet her friends.

"Actually, um, Kairi… since you're my best friend, I wanted to propose something to the team captain, Mako."

Mako looked surprised in particular as he ran his fingers through his hair and Kou continued:

"I would like to propose having Kai-chan as the vice-manager!"

Nagisa immediately chimed in. "That's a great idea! Vice-manager is just an empty title, but it gives status!"

Kou rolled her eyes and stomped her foot. "No, I want her to be vice-manager just in case I'm absent or have something to take care of. You know; like a safety net!"

Mako nodded, rubbing his chin. "I definitely approve. We can always use more people on our staff."

I felt a small smile develop and shine through the wall that I put around myself.

"Aww," Nagisa smiled back, and Kou fell into the smiling frenzy as well, but I noticed that it dropped off of her face in an instant.

"Your smile sparkles brightly, Kai-chan." Mako noted, beginning to smile just like the rest of us.

My cheeks flared yet again as he turned around and dove into the pool behind him.

**Kou's POV**

I couldn't push down a twinge of jealousy from the comments Kairi had received.

"_They never commented on the way I smile… or the way I look… or… anything important, really."_

I tried hard to ignore it, but I could see the faint blush in Kairi's cheeks that made me just wanna slap a bitch.

My mind suddenly wandered as Nagisa raced toward the pool, stripping off his shirt.

"What kind of practice is this; sitting around and chatting?! Let's swim!"

I glanced at Kairi, whose eyes were now conflicted, as she looked at me. "Do… do you swim with them…?"

Shaking my head, I kept my eyes on the boys in the pool as Rei suddenly jumped in. "No, I'm just the manager. I only oversee things, to be honest."

Kairi only nodded as she backed away.

Nagisa looked up at me, as well. "Oh, I forgot to tell you! Miss Ama-chan called in sick today, so she's not here."

I frowned. "Oh… okay! Looks like we'll have to introduce you to her another time."

Kairi had disappeared from my side and was now sitting down at the opposite side of the pool, near one of the corners.

"_Sneaky…"_

I watched as my friend buried her head into her arms and began shaking.

**Kairi's POV**

I had to isolate myself… just a little bit. I wasn't used to talking to and being around so many people.

As I sat down at the corner and felt the pain of not being myself anymore hit me, just like it did every day. This time, it hit me in the heart, making my eyes fill with water.

"Hey, Nagisa! Hand me my goggles while you're up there! I jumped in without them."

"Sorry, Mako-chan! Maybe next time!"

A splash made me begin shaking as usual and I felt the water hit my back.

"_Why are they swimming? They're just going to end up drowning, like lots of people who swim. It doesn't take much to drown anyway, does it?"_

My thoughts began to worry me as I heard footsteps approach me at a fast rate.

"Kai-chan! Why are you alone in the corner?"

I looked up to see Mako standing above me.

"I had to get out to get my goggles, and I saw you curled up over here. Why'd you leave Kou standing over there, alone?"

Shaking my head, I shrugged. "I-I'm sorry. I just… need a little time by myself… I'm not used to seeing so many people at one time."

Mako's understanding smile reached me again as I looked away, trying to hug myself to stop from shaking.

"You know, Haru… he's my best friend. You remind me of him a little… besides the water thing. You two are totally different when it comes to that, but you both don't talk much. Not only that, but you both have the same look in your eyes. Like… you're waiting for something to happen, you just don't know what."

I wasn't sure if I should have taken any of that as a compliment, but I only nodded. Glancing behind me, I watched one of the boys swim from one side of the pool to the other, looking more graceful than any fish I had ever seen.

"He's a great swimmer. I wish I was as good as a swimmer as he was, but I guess we all have our strong points."

My eyes trained on his body, moving naturally through the water, as if it was all he had ever done throughout his entire life.

"Go Haru! Beat your time! I don't know _what_ it is, but you can do it!" Nagisa cheered, throwing his arms in the air like a cheerleader. I could see Kou clapping as well.

When Haru finally reached the end of the lane and tapped the end of the pool, he looked up at Nagisa. I could only faintly hear his response:

"I only swim free, and I could care less about my time."

I felt the breath catch in my throat as I watched him go for another lap. _"I thought swimmers… I thought time was what mattered when it came to swimming…"_

"Haru really doesn't care for his time. He, honestly, just loves being in the water. I think it all comes naturally to him."

Mako got up and began walking away, his bright smile sticking to me. "If you need anything, just ask me or Kou."

I normally felt hollow at times like this… when I was alone. His words made me feel as though I wasn't alone. At least, not right now. I felt like I had a purpose.

Getting up from my spot on the ground near the corner, I made sure to avoid the side of the pool as I made my way back to Kou.

"_Does she literally just stand there?"_

I got closer and I saw the look in her red eyes. She had been watching me the entire time, but based on her expression, it didn't look like a good thing.

**Kou's POV**

I watched as my best friend was being showered with attention from Mako, who was compassionate from the start, but I felt like this was just too much.

My genetic jealous side, every girl has one, began reacting and caused me to crumple up the practice schedule I had gone through all hell to come up with.

"_What's so special about Kai-chan? We're both nearly the same, being best friends… so why do they prefer HER to me? Why doesn't SHE be the manager and I be the foreign exchange student from America, just to shake things up?!"_

My thoughts were rude, and I knew it, but at the moment I could care less.

After what seemed like a pretty brief chat with Mako, Kairi was headed back toward me. My eyes shifted into an automatic glare as I fought to keep my hormones under control.

"_They're only giving her special treatment because she's the new kid on the block. This is normal with just about any school, right?"_

My lame excuses fell on my own deaf ears as Kairi stopped near me. "Why don't we… um… sit down? Isn't it straining on your legs to stand up throughout an entire practice…?"

"Why don't you just keep to yourself." I muttered. I couldn't stop myself from saying rude things; my jealous side just wasn't having it. Why should _I_ treat her differently because she's new, too?

Kairi's purple eyes seemed to flinch with hurt as she sat down beside my legs and wrapped her arms around her legs and rested her chin atop of her knees.

I hadn't noticed until now how small my best friend was, which made me angrier. I knew from personal experience that every man loved a small girl, and Kairi's small yet somehow overwhelmingly perfect figure irritated the piss outta me.

I was, in my personal opinion, normal-sized at 5'4, but Kairi was pushing the 'damn-cute' line at a _bellowing_ 5'1.

"_Keep calm, Kou. Kairi doesn't know who you're into yet, and he probably won't even notice her… he's blatantly into me. Good thing he's always been into me… from the day we met…"_

Before I could begin to think about my own personal fantasies, Nagisa's high-pitched voice broke the silence.

"Well guys, I gotta get home! The family is waiting."

He jumped out of the pool, grabbing his bags from what we had dubbed 'The Junk Drop,' the corner where all of the members dropped their bags when they had practice.

I watched all of the members get out of the pool one-by-one and followed all of the out, with Kairi at my side.

**Kairi's POV**

I was taken aback by my friend's rude manner in which she had spoken to me in earlier.

"_She never talks to me like that… have I done something wrong… to upset her? Is she mad that I went to go sit in the corner because I needed alone time? I should have told her…"_

My guilty thoughts were halted when the gang reached a four-way stop. "See you guys tomorrow!" Nagisa waved as he hurried off toward the train stations, with Rei sighing and trying to keep pace.

Kou shrugged. "See you tomorrow at practice, this time I _won't_ be late." Without so much as a glance at me, she turned right and kept on walking.

I felt my mouth curl into a frown almost immediately, but I kept my head held high as I took a left until a hand landed on my shoulder, making my skin crawl.

"Hey… you go this way, too? Then the three of us can get to know each other, you know?" Mako smiled to me once more, his thoughtful green eyes seemed to bounce with glee as he, Haru, and I journeyed down the sun-kissed road.

All was quiet for a moment until Mako started up a conversation. "That was _some_ practice, Haru! You were pretty fast today."

The only answer Haru would give was a small sigh as he focused on kicking a stray pebble on the street in a straight line.

Mako's voice made me jump after another silent moment. "Hey, Kairi. How come you're afraid of water? Swimming's fun. If it's just a matter of being afraid of drowning, we can _teach_ you how to-"

I shook my head rapidly, cutting him off. "No. I-I can't. I'm afraid and… and I don't think that I can do it. Not after what happened."

Haru seemed to glance at me before looking away again, and Mako nodded. "I understand."

The rest of the walk seemed to be silent other than Mako occasionally humming a tune, until he kept on walking when I turned a right.

"See you guys tomorrow! It was nice meeting you, Kairi!"

My cheeks blazed with embarrassment as I felt my feet move fast down the street I turned on to. It wasn't normal that people treated me like it mattered that they knew me.

"So… _you're_ the returnee from America that everyone's been talking about?" Haru had caught up to me at the end of the road.

I felt my heart skip a beat at how controlled his voice sounded. "I-I guess…"

He kept staring at me. "You live around here, too?"

"I-I guess… my old house was around this corner… and I still live there…"

Haru seemed to look away. "You're afraid of water, aren't you?"

After I nodded, his blue eyes captivated me. "Why? Water makes me feel free… like I don't have to move. The water can do that for me… it's like a special bond; a connection… why do you feel the opposite?"

I felt my throat clear instantly as I sighed. "Water scares me… because it reminds me of blood."

Haru seemed to stop as he and I both turned a corner. "Blood…?"

I shook my head, desperately not wanting to tell the same story again. That would make my life more agonizing than it was at the moment already.

I made my way to a small, blue house, trying to get the thought of it all out of my head. _"It looks the same as I remember…"_

"That's your house?" Haru's eyes opened wide. "Guess the two polar opposites are neighbors."

"I-I thought… you didn't talk much…" My voice now came out as sharp and squeaky, as if all of the terror I had been feeling was turning me into a mouse.

The dark-haired, blue-eyed sea lover seemed to break through my walls in an instant. "I don't. It's just nice to be around someone who isn't the same. Someone who's different."

I wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not, but I hurried up to my door. As I found the keys and opened it up, I looked behind me. "I… I'll see you tomorrow, H-Haru-san."

"_I'm not sure if I'm allowed to-"_

"I suppose. Bye, Kairi." Haru turned abruptly to a gray house next to mine, and I felt my fear of people rise up again as I hurried into my house.

I didn't know what it was about him that really interested me, but it did. It intrigued me. I _did_ feel a little disappointed that I was not given an honorific as I had given him, but he had at least addressed me by name.

I felt my entire body shake, as I lied down on the couch, thoughtless. There were so many boxes of things surrounding me.

_"I feel so alone."_ My eyes began to water as I shut them tightly. I missed my family already.

Not only that, but I didn't know what to do. I felt like I was losing my friend because of what I had done... and I couldn't lose anyone else because of my stupid mistakes.

I would never again let that happen.

A sudden burst of strength overcame me as I jumped up and began unpacking boxes, one-by-one. Every one I unpacked was like letting a little bit of me back into the house.

By the time I had unpacked enough boxes to give a little life to the living room, it was dark outside. Night time.

_"I should get to sleep... a whole new day of school is tomorrow!"_

I stood up, stretching as I began to walk up the stairs, when I glanced outside. My heart leapt up to my throat as I realized someone was standing there. Someone was staring at me.

I stood, motionless.

_"What do I do?! Am I about to get robbed? How do I defend myself?!" _

Unanswerable questions filled my head as I bit my tongue as hard as I could to keep from screaming.

Then, just as fast as the person had come into view, they were gone.

My instinct drove me to go as far as to open the door and call out: "I-is someone there...?"

No answer.

I breathed a sigh of relief, but just as soon as I turned to close the door, I looked down at my feet.

* * *

Awkward ending, but the trail blazes on! (Yes, it is _supposed_ to be awkward, and I _am_ known for cliffhangers).

I am loving the way this is coming out so far, even though some of the chapters/parts of chapters are a little slow. I'm feeling confident with this story.

7/26/13: Oh, I had a lot less words and a shit ton of mistakes in here, so I edited it a little bit and fixed the summary, as well as I altered the ending to this chapter ^_^

And yes, I DID put the poll on my profile and only one person voted .-.

Rate/Review!


	3. The Letter From Hell

_Flashback:_

_My instinct drove me to go as far as to open the door and call out: "I-is someone there...?"_

_No answer._

_I breathed a sigh of relief, but just as soon as I turned to close the door, I looked down at my feet._

Chapter 3: The Letter From Hell

_**Last Night**_

_**Kou's POV**_

_As soon as I had walked off on my normal way home, I was pissed as all hell. My eyes began to water with angry tears and I bit my lip to keep from screaming in rage._

"_I have tried to make Kairi as welcome as possible… but she just ends up stealing my thunder!"_

_I kicked a rock down the road as hard as I could. It hit a pole with a clang sound, making startled birds fly out of a nearby tree._

_The second, eviler wave of jealousy felt as though it was overtaking me within an instant. Without a second thought, I dashed down the road to my house as fast as I possibly could._

_When I finally made it, I saw someone standing in front of the door, staring at me._

"_No way… you're here? What do you want?"_

"_I saw how distressed you were just now, Gou. Tell me and I'll help."_

_I felt myself smile nauseatingly. This was my big chance. My big shot at becoming a lot less angry for the moment. Only he would understand my pain._

_Without a second thought, I spilled everything. What I knew about Kairi's issue with water to her greatest fears and biggest mistakes. Everything that made her feel like shit in her life. I told him everything I knew._

_It was already dark when I stopped and smiled. It was all gone. My jealousy was cured._

"_Well, that sucks. Want me to do something about it?"_

_As cruel as it was, my conscience couldn't deny my secret pleasure would be to tear Kairi down as much as I could._

_I nodded, and he smiled to me. "Don't worry about a thing."_

_After a moment of staring me in the eye, he walked down the street and disappeared behind a corner._

_**Kairi's POV**_

_I slid down the door as I read the note over and over, not wanting to believe all of the things that were written in neat, cursive, girly handwriting. _

"_Who would do this?"_

_Tears streamed down my face as I stared at the paper, feeling hurt._

_The most traumatizing thing that had ever happened to me in my life had been thrown back at me in just a front and back side of a piece of notebook paper._

_This couldn't be happening._

_Everything was falling apart. My entire life seemed to crumble around me. It suddenly hurt to do anything._

_Living, breathing, eating. I should just give up on it all. Shouldn't I?_

"_No," I whispered to myself. "I won't let this break me."_

_I tried telling myself that it didn't hurt me. It was all in the past. It wouldn't make my heart stop trembling inside of me. _

_In reality, none of it was in the past because it still affected my daily life. All of my daily thoughts had just been written down and shoved to me in the most offensive way possible._

_I knew I couldn't show my face in school the next day._

_There was no way I was going to go to school and be asked constantly "What's wrong? Why are you crying?" by people who could, in reality, care less._

_I felt cries begin escaping my mouth as I held my abdomen in mental pain. The note slowly drifted to the ground and I stared at it, and that's when it hit me._

_Only two people knew of the things that had happened in my letter, right?_

_One of them was a law enforcement officer in America. The other… was my best friend._

_Kou._

_I held my mouth in disbelief to keep myself from screaming again. There was no way in hell that Kou could hurt me like that, right? _

"_No way in hell."_

_The more I thought about it, the more probable it became. The more likely it was that my best friend, someone I had trusted with my deepest, most dark secrets, had revealed things that I had never hoped to say aloud. _

**The Next Morning**

**Kou's POV**

I walked to school as usual, feeling a little freer than I had yesterday. All of my rage had filed itself out of me as I got to say what I wanted to Kairi even though she wasn't there.

"_I wonder…"_

My thoughts began to wander as I approached the building, ready for a new day. I burst through the doors, feeling as welcome as a prisoner was to his new cell.

As usual, no heads turned. No one cared that I had arrived to school.

"_Nothing's really changed. What did I expect? People to suddenly like me?"_

I walked to my locker as I spotted Nagisa walking toward Rei, as usual. "Nagisa!"

Running up to my friend, I was the worried look he had in his eyes. "Do you have any idea what happened to Kairi, Gou?"

That must have made me snap. "I could care less what's happened to Kairi right now!"

Nagisa and Rei seemed to back up at my scathing tone and I shook my head. "S-sorry. I'm just-"

Rei interrupted me. "I'm sure you have your excuses, but what Nagisa was going to say was he and I saw Kairi crying this morning."

My heart immediately lurched. I lunged for my locket inside of my shirt. I almost hadn't worn it to school this morning, in light of what I had said. I didn't deserve to wear it on the inside, but I promised her I'd wear it in public every day, no matter what.

"Crying? Why…?"

Rei shrugged, messing with his glasses. "No idea. She shone with beauty even in tears. Her face kinda lights up a room, in my personal opinion. Anyway," he picked up a book from his locker. "I must get to class. I'll see you both at practice."

Rei walked off nearly silently as Nagisa stared up at me. "Gou… what do you think happened to Kai-chan?"

I shook my head, feeling my eyebrows furrow. "I-I don't know."

Guilt pricked at me as my throat tightened. Even though I had no idea what had happened, I knew I was responsible in a distant… well… not _so_ distant… kind of way.

Taking a deep breath, I walked off to class as well, ignoring whatever Nagisa had said to me.

**Kairi's POV**

The last thing I had wanted to do today was go to school, but I knew that if I missed any days, I wouldn't have very many free days to take off at the end of the year.

Of course, as soon as I arrived, I had to split to the restroom to wash my face again. Tears just seemed to spill out of my eyes unconsciously.

That note I had gotten was the only thing on my mind. I couldn't even concentrate on walking in front of me.

Once I had finally regained some sort of control, I had run into Nagisa and Rei on their way in, and when they said hello to me, I had to run straight back into the restroom _again_ because it happened again.

"_Why did it happen to me…? Did Kou really…?"_

I shook my head. _"No. There is no way she would-"_

Just as I looked up into the mirror, I saw what I _thought_ had been my best friend close the door behind her.

"Kai-chan! What's the matter?"

I felt a lump in my throat begin to build up, but I shook my head. "K-Kou. Did-did you leave th-this l-letter for m-me?"

The gasping I had to do in-between my words was unbearable, but I soldiered through it as I stared at her, wanting to get _some_ kind of reaction.

Kou stared at me blankly as I shakily grabbed the note I had received and handed it to her. She looked over it for no more than a moment, as if she didn't want to read it, and shook her head as she handed it back.

"No, I didn't. That's not my handwriting. Do you know who might have…?"

I shook my head, holding it and pulling my hair. "No… I can't think of anyone who knows that much about me but _you_."

My friend's eyes seemed to widen as she hugged me for only a moment. "It wasn't me, I promise. As for class, we better hurry."

Kou quickly ran out of the restroom as the five minute bell went off. Shaking my head to try to clear it, I confidently walked out of the restroom and wiped my eyes.

"_Do I look okay…?"_

Usually, back in the day, it was Kou that I asked if I wanted to know if I looked okay. Since she wasn't here, I just headed to class.

I still couldn't shake the feeling… that Kou knew something I didn't.

"_Is that why she was so eager to leave?..."_

I shook my head again. _"No, you're just being silly. There's no way someone you've been friends with for as long as you can remember is going to betray you like that… without a motive."_

**Practice**

**Kairi's POV**

It'd been a long day. I almost couldn't stand it. At the end of cooking class, I thought about just high-tailing it home and calling it a day, but Kou had caught up to me and told me she had to go do some studying, so I had to oversee everything.

"_Almost coincidental."_

My thoughts had become more calculating and more rational by the end of the day, and I was happy I had only cried once during school hours; in the middle of cooking class.

Of course, I had told everyone that the onion I had been cutting made my eyes water and everyone believed it, but other than that, I hadn't cried since before school started.

I walked out to the pool with confidence, and I felt woozy as I set my eyes on it.

"Hi there! Are you lost?"

A small lady with an umbrella had called to me from a chair nearby.

"O-oh… um…"

A familiar voice spoke up for me. "No, Miss Ama-chan! That's Kairi and she's here for a normal swim practice! She's our vice-manager!" I looked into the pool to see Nagisa smiling up at the lady.

The lady smiled. "Oh… alright."

I felt my legs turn into jello as I walked toward the pool.

"Hey, Kai-chan!" Nagisa called to me from the pool. "Are you okay now?"

My heart stopped for a moment. "O-oh. I'm fine. I just… had some things on my mind. I'll be fine…"

Mako looked up from a conversation with Haru-san. "What? What's up, Kairi?"

I shook my head as I walked over to the corner and put my bag down, and I felt a hand grab my arm.

"Kairi." A quiet voice spoke to me, making my eyes widen.

Haru-san was standing behind me, his hand cool with the water. "Um… I uh…"

His deep blue eyes narrowed as he stared at me. "What happened? Nagisa and Rei said they saw you crying this morning."

I quickly pulled away from him. "N-nothing happened. I-I'll be fine."

Haru-san seemed to sigh as he turned away and jumped straight back into the pool, coming to the surface and floating with his eyes closed.

As the boys went back to their practice, I settled myself on the concrete ground as I concentrated on the pool.

The blue water seemed to turn a hazy red as I shook my head, trying to clear it.

"_There's no blood in the pool… it's just a pool… it's just water…"_

My thoughts fell apart as I felt my hands start to shake. It wasn't just water. It was blood. All of it was the blood of my victims… the ones who cared about me. The ones I lost.

"Kai-chan!" I looked up to see Mako running toward me.

"_What…?"_

I could feel my vision going black as I struggled to my feet. "U-um… I'll, uh… um…"

"_Why can't I say anything?"_ I was well-aware of my usual symptoms of being around lots of water, but this wasn't normal.

That's when I felt it. The levees I had personally built by the end of today had been broken. I began to start bawling uncontrollably as someone (I'm assuming it's Mako) stopped in front of me.

"Kai-chan?! Really, what's up? You can tell us!" Nagisa's voice penetrated through my cries as I shook my head.

"No. You _have_ to tell us." Mako was now in front of me, staring down at me. "We'll do all we can to help, Kai-chan."

The understanding in his eyes made me stumble backwards, holding my mouth.

"_Shit, I think I'm gonna be sick…"_

Just the thought of getting sick made my stomach lurch. I backed up and ran through the hallways, blinded by tears.

"_I have to get home. I need to get home."_

Those two lines repeated themselves as I ran home as fast as I could. I couldn't stop running, either. The more tired I got, the faster I ran.

Suddenly, a voice made me pause. "Kairi."

The quiet voice made me stop in my tracks as I stumbled around, trying to regain my balance and crying uncontrollably.

"Kairi, tell me what happened."

I shook my head, holding my stomach and my mouth with both hands.

"N-no."

I turned to see Haru-san standing behind me in his swim wear. "Tell me."

I felt my hands start trembling as I bit my lip.

"_Can I… can I trust him…?"_

His posture told me not to argue with him as I struggled to reach into my pocket and pull out the dreaded letter. I had taken it to school solely to show Kou, but since she had denied knowing anything about it, I should have thrown it away.

I handed it to him, feeling my hand start shaking as he slowly took it and helped me to the ground, where I held my legs close to me.

As much as I felt like a toddler… it helped me regain _some_ control of myself.

**Haru's POV**

The crumpled note Kairi had given me unnerved me just a little. How could one small piece of paper cause someone so much mental pain?

I opened it up a little and I saw the neat, cursive writing. It looked familiar… where had I seen it before?

"_Hey, bitch._

_What's up? Whoring around at the swim club, trying to get some easy D using sex appeal? I don't think that will work, since you're afraid of water like a little pussy. Afraid of water because your boyfriend shot himself in the head in front of you? Dumb slut, if you hadn't fucked his best friend you wouldn't be in this fucking mess, would you? _

_You and your stupid looks, too. Did you get surgery done to look the way you do? Waste of your fucking money, you whore. You don't need looks to get what you REALLY want, do you? All you have to say is you're free on Friday night and men love you immediately._

_Not only that, but what was that I heard about you having a 'thing' for cutting yourself? Weird fucking Kairi… do you cut yourself because you see Tyler's blood all over the wound and you lick it because it tastes like him? Fucking nasty._

_You really should consider doing the rest of us a favor and killing yourself, Kairi. I could care less about who loves you in your life, long story short, you're a mistake. You're stupid, you're ugly as hell, no one likes you except for maybe the knife you use… why are you still alive?_

_I suggest drowning in a pool so you WANT to die while you think about what you did to poor Tyler. _

_Sincerely,_

_You're a slut and you know it."_

My eyebrows flew up as I stared down at Kairi, who was hugging her legs.

"_The vulgarity in this letter is profane… who would have anything against Kairi on her first day back?"_

**Kairi's POV**

I heard Haru-san take a deep breath and crumple up the note in his hand.

"I-I didn't do anything wrong… who would say that…?" My own voice weaseled its way out of my mouth.

Haru-san was staring down at me as he shrugged. "I don't know… is this why you've been crying all day?"

I nodded, biting my lip again.

"I understand that you probably need to go home and rest up after this… right?"

Nodding again, he turned on his heel. "Don't hesitate to talk to us in the future… okay?"

I watched him walk down the street slowly. Stumbling, I felt my insides heave as I stood up, sprinting to my house and letting myself in, only to bolt to the restroom.

I felt all of my fear and sadness come up. Literally. I bent over the bowl and just let all of it out.

"_Whatever the hell I ate for lunch must not have been that great, anyway…"_

As I finished up after rinsing my mouth and washing my hands, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom and fell flat asleep with everything still on. Shoes, socks… even my backpack.

My splitting headache soon disappeared as I drifted off into sleep.

* * *

Kinda a dull chapter in my personal opinion. .-. Probably just me. I altered the ending to the last chapter today, so I made it a letter instead of a phone call to make it just a little less obvious.

Also, I did end up putting that poll on my profile… you can vote in it for fun ^_^

:3 Rate/Review! I enjoy feedback on how you feel about my (confusing) plot. (It's definitely going to make sense at the end. Promise :3)


	4. Care

_Flashback:_

_As I finished up after rinsing my mouth and washing my hands, I made my way upstairs to my bedroom and fell flat asleep with everything still on. Shoes, socks… even my backpack._

_My splitting headache soon disappeared as I drifted off into sleep._

Chapter 4: Care

**Pool**

"I wonder why Haru-san suddenly got out of the pool to chase Kai-chan… usually he'd never sacrifice time in a pool for anything." Nagisa speculated as he strapped on his goggles.

Mako only seemed to sigh as he watched Rei start his first lap.

"No idea… what could have been so bad that made Kai-chan burst into tears?" His green eyes narrowed worriedly as he looked back up to see Haru walking back into the pool, closing the school doors behind him.

Mako jumped out immediately. "Haru! Where's Kai-chan?! Is she okay?!"

Haru shrugged. "She'll be fine, I think. She went home."

Mako sighed with relief. "I'm glad she'll be okay."

When he looked down, he caught a glimpse of Haru's hand. "What's that?"

Shaking his head, Haru handed the note to Mako. "This is a note Kairi received which caused her to be upset."

As he handed Mako the note, Haru jumped back into the water.

Nagisa approached Mako as he read the letter. "Whatcha got there, Mako-chan?"

Mako's green eyes widened with every sentence he read, and once he finished, he let the letter fall to the ground, where Nagisa picked it up.

"I can't believe someone would _ever_ say something like that to her. All the pain she's endured…"

Without another thought, Mako raced up to the poolside.

"Haru! Do you have any idea…?"

He shook his head slowly. "No. The handwriting looks familiar to me… but I can't place it."

Nagisa was in tears as he dropped the letter as well. "I can't believe Kai-chan had to read that and live with it…"

"Hey guys… where's Kairi?" Everyone turned to see Kou walking toward the pool.

**Kou's POV**

I had absolutely needed to study for the upcoming Biology exam, but more importantly… I couldn't be around Kairi when she was upset.

It was something that always upset both of us when we were near each other when the other was crying or hurt.

Once I finished studying and built up my confidence, I ventured out to the pool area.

Nagisa and Mako were out of the pool, making my head tilt curiously.

"_What's going on?"_

"Hey guys… where's Kairi?" I asked, feeling my voice go squeaky and high-pitched.

"Kou!" Mako ran toward me, a piece of paper in his hands. "Do you have any idea who-"

"No," I interrupted him. "I've been bothered about this before. I have no idea who would ever do something like that to Kairi."

Mako looked disappointed. "The things that were said in this piece of shit were unexplainably cruel. It's what's been making Kai-chan cry all day. I'm almost glad she went home; so she didn't have to hide her feelings anymore."

**Haru's POV**

I watched Kou shake her head and look away, something passing through her eyes.

"Kou, did you get into a fight with that team-captain guy again?" Nagisa scratched his chin, curiously.

"No, I'm just tired from all of the work I've been doing. You think you guys can do without a manager for a while?"

I nodded. "Sure."

Kou raced into the building. "Bye, guys! See you tomorrow!"

Rei's head popped up from the pool. "What was her rush?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. Mako, what's up?"

My best friend's eyes had lowered to the ground, which wasn't something he did very often.

"I want to find out who did this."

Surprisingly, his words hit home with me, too. I wanted to find out who the hell would say anything like that to someone as helpless and harmless as Kairi.

"You guys want to call it a day?" I asked, and the latter nodded, heading toward The Junk Drop to get their things.

"Um… Haru…" Mako was staring at me.

"Hmm?"

"Do you want to drop by Kai-chan's house… to make sure she didn't actually… kill herself?"

The worry in Mako's eyes pushed me over the edge as I sighed. "Fine. But…"

There had been something on my mind. The last person who had cried like that in front of me was Rin, after I had beaten him in that match that made him and I both quit swimming.

I never wanted to see anyone cry in front of me like that again, and Kairi had done it. The sight had shaken me, and I had tried not to let it get to me, but it just ate at me. I knew I had to do something about it.

"How do you tell someone… to get-well soon? In a nice way, that is."

Mako's eyes widened in surprise. "What? You're telling me that you want to do something nice for her?"

I looked away in embarrassment. Not exactly the way I wanted to go about doing this.

"If that's what it takes, I guess so."

"_If I hear one laugh, one sound, from this guy, I will unleash my rage."_ My cheeks felt all tingly as Mako slapped me on the back.

"How nice. It's a good idea. Any more brilliant ideas as of what to do for her?"

I grabbed my bag as I spoke to him. "Well… what do normal people do when they see that someone needs cheering up?"

Mako held his chin for a moment until he snapped his fingers. "I got it! Flowers, a card, and some chocolate!"

Nagisa glanced over at us. "Mako-chan, I think you're thinking more of Valentine's Day!"

"It was just a suggestion."

"What; are you trying to pull something? Make some moves?" Rei smirked behind his glasses as I watched Mako flail is arms in an attempt to hit him.

"What? No! I'm just trying to be nice!"

"_I like the idea he put out, though. Maybe after that… we can bring up investigating the letter. I hope Kairi is okay with us doing that so we can find the bastard who did it and beat him to a pulp."_

My violent thoughts seemed to wander as a flustered Mako then turned to me. "Tch, c'mon Haru. These idiots have no idea what they're talking about."

I felt myself smile for a bit at my friend's eagerness to get away from all of the accusations as he dragged me toward a flower shop.

"You're really going to do it? Buy her flowers, I mean…" My voice sounded almost embarrassed, and I should be. Flowers? Really?

"Which bouquet do you think we should get her, Haru? The Sweet Splendor, Moonlit Meadows, or the Adrenaline Blush?"

The Sweet Splendor was orange with splashes of white flowers in between… the Moonlit Meadows had purples, blues, and whites galore, but the Adrenaline Blush was different. It had all sorts of shades of red.

Before I could even voice my opinion, Mako walked up to the lady who was selling them and bought the Moonlit Meadows.

"Haru, it's perfect. Do you think she'll like it?"

I decided to let it slide as I nodded. "I think so."

"What else do you think-"

"A card would be nice."

Mako stared at me as I sighed. Would Kairi even be _alive_ when we walked to her house? He had a right to be worried.

"_But why am I worried? I mean, I don't like seeing people cry in front of me… but I don't know Kairi as well as I knew Rin. Nowhere near it. So why am I even feeling anxious in the slightest?"_

"Haru."

Mako had stopped several paces behind me as he held the bouquet close to him.

"Yeah?"

"Do… do you think she's still crying?"

The thought of it made my stomach flip again. _"Thanks, Mako."_

"I hope not."

My best friend stared at me pleadingly. "I hope not, too, for your sake."

"My sake?" My eyes flew open from the concentrated state I was in. "Why my sake? If anything, it's for _your_ sake."

Mako only seemed to smile for a moment. "You need more friends, Haru… and from the looks of it, she seems to trust you already."

I suddenly heard myself whisper something I thought I'd never say out loud: "I see the way you look at her."

Almost immediately, I wanted to take it back. I honestly never wanted to say anything of the sort to my best friend.

I didn't want to call him out on his possible feelings.

Mako stared at me with his sad, green eyes as he looked away. "Yeah."

**Kairi's POV**

My sleep had been shallow as I tossed and turned in my bed for what seemed like hours after I had fallen asleep, when I heard a knock on the door.

Immediate fear seemed to kick in.

"_Is it… someone there to hurt me? Is it the same person who put the letter on my doorstep…?"_

Cautiously, I stepped down the stairs, shaking with every step, as I put my hand on the knob.

Without a regret, I slammed the door open and both Mako and Haru-san were standing there.

"Kai-chan!" Mako sighed with relief as I let them both into my half-packed house. "I'm glad you're okay."

"O-okay…?"

I was confused as hell. What did he mean by 'okay'? Was something supposed to happen to me?

Mako then turned to me, holding a bunch of flowers out to me. "Here, these are for you. It was all Haru's idea to do something nice for you."

Haru-san seemed to look away, as usual.

"O-oh… thank you! Th-these flowers are lovely."

As I took them and placed them on the counter, I watched Mako shove Haru-san and he stepped forward.

"Here. It's from everyone."

His outstretched hand held out a small card.

I took it and the cover depicted a family of all kinds of sea creatures; penguins, dolphins, whales… even a smiling shark in the background!

At the bottom, it had the words 'Get Well Soon!' spelled out with bubbles.

I smiled; even though I wasn't into the ocean or oceanic animals, each one of the members of the club reminded me of a sea-creature, making it humorous.

"Thank you, Mako-chan and Haru-s-sama."

My stutter came back as I felt a small smile creep up the sides of my mouth.

Mako-chan smiled back at me and sat down on my couch. Haru-sama only seemed to widen his eyes in surprise.

"We wanted to know if you wanted us to find out who… said those terrible things to you."

I shook my head. I never wanted to hear any of those things said to me like that ever again.

"N-no. You don't… I don't want you to find out who did it. I don't want to know."

Mako-chan's eyes widened substantially. "What? Really?"

I nodded, feeling my legs start to shake. "I don't want to know who did this. I won't drag you two into it, it's okay."

Haru-sama stared at me and then to Mako-chan for only a moment before he shrugged.

"I have to get back home and do my stupid homework. Knock on the door if anything else happens. Feel better, Kairi."

Without so much as a glance back at us, he walked out the door and into the darkening night.

Mako-chan stared at me for a little over a moment before his mouth turned up in a smile.

"Kai-chan, I'm sorry about what happened. Don't feel bad about it, though. Haru and I will help you get through it, not to mention Nagisa and Rei! Where's Kou at times like these? I thought the two of you were best friends."

I looked away, studying the dark carpet. "So did I. I guess she doesn't have t-time for me like she used to. That's okay, though. I understand."

Mako-chan smiled even wider. "I'm sorry, Kai-chan. I have to get going, too. I'll see you tomorrow at practice, okay?"

I nodded, feeling my face brighten up a bit. "O-okay. I'll see you then, Mako-chan."

He got to the door and turned around, the kindness in his demeanor showing effortlessly, but this time he had an essence of sharpness to it.

"Kai-chan… don't do anything else to hurt yourself… okay?"

The randomness of his request caught me off guard as I nodded. "I-I'll try, Mako-chan."

As the door closed behind him, I felt myself go into auto-pilot as I turned off all of my lights, got dressed for bed, and finally fell into the comfortable heaven that was indeed my resting place.

"_I'm glad there are people who care about me even when Kou can't…"_

That was my only conscious thought as I fell into a deep, restful sleep.

* * *

Yes, those are _real_ bouquets I found on ftd . com (w/o spaces .-.) xD You should look there sometime o.o I'm not a big fan of flowers, but some of the bouquets they had are just stunning :3

Sorry for the random, short filler chapter (kinda). It's just one of those plot holes where something normal _has_ to happen, you know? Not every chapter can be filled with suspense ;-;

However, as for next chapter… it might start to pick up a bit, don't ya think? :3

Also, I am sorry if you like G/Kou o.o This story might not be for you if you do… and even if you do and decide to read it, don't hate me ;-;

The poll is up on my profile… you should take it ;-; Only one person has :[

Rate/Review!


	5. Meet and Greet!

_Flashback:_

"_I'm glad there are people who care about me even when Kou can't…"_

_That was my only conscious thought as I fell into a deep, restful sleep._

Chapter 5: Meet and Greet!

**Kou's POV**

I felt immediately sorry about how I had treated Kairi over the last few days… and I felt even worse because she cried.

That's what had begun to eat at me. I couldn't stand the thought of Kairi constantly crying because of what had happened. I was going to make it up to her. I was going to get her even more friends so she could have people to lean on if I ever got that way again.

The moment I had walked into the school building, I told her that we were going to meet a friend of mine after practice today.

"W-what? A-are they nice?"

I nodded. "Definitely! I like him, though… please don't tell him, though!"

Kairi only seemed to smile sheepishly. "O-okay."

I smiled as I headed off to class. I suddenly didn't feel as jealous anymore.

"_Should I keep going through with this?"_

My conscience told me definitely not, but my mind… my drive told me hell yes.

**Practice**

**Kairi's POV**

I walked through the hallways at the end of the day.

"_Kou said she had someone for me to meet. I wonder who she's talking about…"_

My thoughts began to wander as I thought even more deeply about my best friend. _"Our friendship has become all weird ever since the letter had shown up at my door."_

My thoughts wandered as I burst through the doors and stopped as I felt the feeling of being around blood hit me.

"_No… how could you do this…"_

My feelings crushed me as I stared ahead and saw blood in the pool, as usual.

"_It's your fault Tyler is dead. If you had convinced him, then he wouldn't be dead. If you had been able to stop him, then you wouldn't be in this mess."_

"Hey, Kai-chan!"

I looked up to see Kou staring at me. "Ready to go meet him?"

My arms tightened up. "O-oh… sure. I mean, I-I wouldn't mind…"

"Then c'mon, let's go! I'll see you tomorrow, guys!"

Without an answer, Kou suddenly began pulling me through the school hallways.

Once we had emerged, she jerked me to the right toward a different school and began to speak to me.

"Kai-chan! I think you'll be happy about meeting him! He's really nice! Captain of the swim team for Samezuka Academy!"

I smiled. "I'm sure if you like him, Kou-chan, he's a nice guy."

Suddenly, I held my mouth in surprise. _"I didn't stutter…"_

I must be getting more comfortable with Kou and being around people…

As we ran around a corner, we ran into a well-built boy with red hair and gold eyes.

"_Who i-is that…?"_

"Sei! Hi! I wanted to introduce you to Kairi! Kairi, this is Seijuurrou Mikoshiba. I had to take you to introduce yourself to him!"

So-called Sei stared at me, his friendly golden eyes staring at me. "Hi, Kairi! You and Kou are best friends?"

I nodded. "Y-yes…"

He smiled at me. "Wow… cool!" Then, he turned to my best friend. "Hey, Kou, your brother was looking for you awhile back... yesterday, I think."

Kou's face immediately brightened up. "Rin? Really? Where is he now?!"

Sei shrugged, glancing behind himself. "He's probably in the pool… maybe in the lockers screwing around. I dunno. Kid's been off his rocker since last practice. Maybe he's tripped up on some girl or something."

Kou grabbed my arm as she pulled me past the cool-looking guy, Sei.

"Thanks Sei! I'll talk to ya later, alright?"

"Sure…" His voice sounded unsure as we slowed up and Kou began looking around.

"You remember my brother, right? He's got red hair and red eyes like I do… oh! There he is!"

Kou pointed in front of us to a guy grabbing a towel and slinging it over his shoulder.

She hurried ahead of me and I assumed I was supposed to follow her. As I neared him, I realized how familiar he looked.

I had never gotten to know him directly, or even said more than a few sentences to him as a kid, but nonetheless… I _knew_ him.

"Rin!" Kou called, and he turned to see us. His eyes immediately narrowed distrustfully, making my skin crawl.

"Oh, it's you, Gou."

Surprisingly, Kou didn't spaz about her name this time and continued on. "You remember Kairi, right?"

I glanced up and quickly looked away when I saw his eyes brighten up. It wasn't in a normal, friendly way either. He was looking at me like he was going to eat me.

Okay, maybe not _that_ bad, but he looked dangerously interested, and I'd be a damn liar if I said it didn't creep me the hell out.

"Yeah. Hey."

Though, his demeanor changed when I backed away. "H-hi…"

To be honest, I was scared as hell when it came to him. I have no idea what it was… but I was terrified.

A whistle suddenly blew as he nodded to me and then to Kou.

"Might as well stay and watch our practice. We've got room. Sei-idiot actually lets outsiders watch our meets to scare them… thus; I dub thee Sei-idiot."

I watched Kou roll her eyes. "Just get out there and do what you've gotta do."

**The Pool**

**Haru's POV**

"It's so quiet without Kai-chan and Gou around," Nagisa commented, kicking the water from the poolside.

I can't say I'd been into swimming around a lot today… of course; I'm still in the water. All I really wanted to do was float and pretend nothing mattered.

Mako was staring at me as he dried himself off. I could see the worry in his eyes.

"_He's still worried about Kairi? She'll be fine."_

As much as I tried to tell myself that, I knew it'd take time for her to heal.

She was just so shy and easily hurt that it might take longer for her to heal herself than it would take me.

"Haru," I opened my eyes for a moment as I saw Mako looking down at me. "Where did Kou take Kairi again?"

Rei glanced over from cleaning off his glasses, as usual. "I think she was going over to Samezuka to get her to meet that Captain. Seijuurrou, I think."

"Oh, him! I hear he has a huge thing for Gou!" Nagisa spoke up with his overly-excited voice.

That's when I tuned out.

"_Why's Kou getting Kairi to meet new people? Is it because she feels sorry for her? Why would she take her to meet someone at Samezuka instead of someone right here, in Iwatobi? That's what confuses me. I can understand that she knows Seijuurrou, but…" _

It just didn't make sense in my mind. It _did_ make sense, but it was confusing as hell.

"Mako!" Nagisa's voice got my attention as he addressed my best friend. "Kou _did_ say she was going to see her brother as well."

"She… _planned_ to see her brother? How would he take that?"

"_That doesn't make any sense, either. Normally, Rin wants nothing to do with Gou. Maybe they're going to try and recoup. Maybe it's a family issue. She'll probably leave Kairi out of it."_

Mako's gaze caused me to look back at him. I couldn't understand the look in his eyes.

"Haru… do you think Kairi is okay?"

Before I could answer, Rei's unusual vocabulary cut me off. "Dude, would you stop asking if Kairi is okay? That's like, all you talk about now."

Nagisa nodded. "I agree, Mako-chan. You have talked about Kairi a lot. Why's that?"

Mako looked scared for a moment, then he smiled softly. "I don't know."

I felt my eyes drift closed again. I think even an idiot could see how blatantly Mako feels about Kairi.

The thought of that, though. It made my skin itch, like I was covered in poison ivy or something.

Feeling my arms and legs begin to move through the water, my mind quickly cleared as I got out of the pool, feeling refreshed.

"Wow, look at the time. It's already almost five! I gotta get home." Rei quickly jumped toward the Junk Drop and grabbed his bags, getting out of the gate.

I tilted my head as Mako stared at me. "It's time to get out, Haru."

"_I'll just get straight into the bath when I get home."_

As I got out of the water, I shook my head like a wet dog, trying to get all of the droplets out of my hair.

I grabbed my stuff as Mako fell into step with me, as usual.

The sky was already darkening to an orange-ish color as we exited school grounds.

"Hey, look! It's Gou!" Nagisa exclaimed, making both Mako and I turn our heads.

**Kou's POV**

After a long and boring practice, besides staring at the abs of hot guys, I had decided to go check up on the boys after.

"_Kairi will be okay on her own."_

I had escorted her out of the school when we parted ways. I was happy she had met my current heartthrob, Sei.

"_She can HAVE the rest of the swimming team. My Sei is mine and that's that."_

All traces of jealousy had disappeared as I enjoyed him showering his attention on me. Every time he had a spare moment, he glanced back at me and smiled.

Just _thinking_ about it was making my little legs tremble and I literally had to concentrate on not screaming my head off.

I approached the school as I heard a small laugh from far away. Glancing behind me, I saw Kairi toward me, next to a red-haired boy.

From faraway, I thought it was Rin, but with a double-take I realized it was Sei. _My_ heartthrob. _My _Sei. I had even made sure to mention it to her several times so she could get it through her little whore head.

The tears in my eyes made me begin to shake with anger.

"_How could Kairi do this to me? She knew… she KNEW!"_

My pain was enough to consume me as I flew through the streets.

I heard someone call my name, but I could have literally cared less who it was as I concentrated on running as fast and as far as I could.

Once I couldn't run anymore, I felt myself lean up against a building in shock as I unconsciously pulled out my cell phone and texted the only person I knew who could help me deal with this.

"_The little whore is stealing Sei from me, too."_

I wrote, almost unconsciously. My anger was unexplainable. I could barely type the message without nearly crushing my phone in my hands.

"_Little bitch better pay. I'll make sure she pays."_

Almost immediately, my phone buzzed and I glanced at it, smiling at the words I saw.

"_I'll take care of it."_

That was all I needed to hear. My smug smirk replaced all the anger and hid it behind a manageable wall as I walked the quiet, sunlit streets.

"_She'll get just what she wants. I know she will."_

**Haru's POV**

When both Mako and I looked up, Kou ran right by all four of us and seemed to ignore all of us as Nagisa called her name.

"I think she's in a hurry," Rei commented, walking as fast as he could and disappearing out of sight, like he usually did.

My thoughts began to wander for no more than a second as I heard a guy laugh and I watched Kairi walk by with a familiar-looking guy with golden eyes.

I felt my eyes widen as I watched them walk by.

"You're really funny, Kairi." The guy was laughing as Kairi seemed to almost-blush. "I-I'm really not…"

I didn't know much about this guy, only that he was the captain of the Samezuka swimming team, but I felt an instant pain engulf me. It wasn't like anything I've ever felt before, and it came in waves.

The pain would be there, then it would slowly fade out, only to be replaced with more pain that was twice as strong as before… and the cycle continued.

I bit my lip as I watched the two of them go by.

"_What; am I jealous?"_

I almost laughed as I suggested this to myself.

"_I hardly know Kairi, especially not enough to like her like that. Right? Even so,"_ I glanced at Mako, who looked as though he had missed the sight we had seen. _"Mako has a pretty obvious thing for her, and I wouldn't screw him over like that."_

Shaking my head absentmindedly, the pangs of pain kept coming in waves until I almost couldn't take it.

Our group seemed to walk slowly, slow enough for Kairi and that guy, Sei, to disappear from sight.

"_Besides,"_ I decided to try to calm myself down. _"He's only walking her home. I bet she doesn't even give him an honorific."_

My mind was really pissing me off now. Now I was convincing myself I actually _was_ jealous. Which I'm not.

Mako turned to me as soon as Nagisa ran off, yelling an 'I'll see you tomorrow, guys!' at us.

"Haru, what's on your mind?"

I shook my head instantly. "Nothing."

Mako seemed to almost smile. "You're thinking about Kairi, aren't you?"

I looked away, feeling my embarrassment swim up to my throat. "No. Why would you think that?"

"Well… your face changed. Like it always does when you're talking to her or looking at her… sometimes when you're even _around_ her or someone does something so much as saying her _name._"

I got the courage to look back, and my compassionate friend hadn't changed from his kind demeanor. I had expected him to lash out or be angry with me for so much as thinking about her, but he wasn't.

"She's different." My thoughts were doing the talking for me, not my brain.

"I'm not attracted… she interests me. She's not-"

"Not like the rest of the girls at Iwatobi?" Mako stuck his hands in his pockets as we made our normal left turn.

"I understand. I feel the same way." Mako seemed to refuse to look at me as I stared down at the ground.

"It's alright, Haru. I understand."

Those were the only words my best friend needed to describe the situation as I felt my insides begin to throb.

The only thing I found a problem with that… was it throbbed with relief.

**Kairi's POV**

As I had begun to walk away from Samezuka Academy, Sei had offered to walk me halfway to my home, since he cut right at the four-way stop.

To be honest, he was a really nice guy to me. All I really got was laughs from my attempted jokes and he commented on how quiet I was.

I did manage to pass the front of Iwatobi High, and I noticed the four boys standing there, looking after something. The only one who seemed to notice me was Haru-sama.

His deep eyes stared through me, like they usually did, but this time, I felt something else. I'm not too sure what exactly he was feeling, but he wasn't looking at me in the same way.

The sighed frightened me a little, although Sei hadn't noticed much.

As we neared the four-way stop, he slowly began to walk right.

"Goodbye, Kairi! Maybe I'll see you sometime later? You should bring Kou with you, too, of course. You both need to come to our swim meets more often."

I nodded and turned left, like I always did.

My mood had become a lot lighter since yesterday, and I even stopped for a moment just to breathe in the air. It was such a nice day outside.

I even began to start walking before I heard a sinister voice greet me.

"Hey, Kairi."

* * *

Cliffhanger ;-; Anyhow, the summary has been bothering me on this particular story, so I might change it a hella lot.

Not only that, but this is about to get intense. Small warning: next chapter might be a little much for some readers, and I'll _try_ to not make it _too_ bad. There is a reason for the "M" rating I:

Also, 2 reviews. Hehe, thanks guys ^_^ Glad ya like it so far. Looking forward to potentially more reviews in the future!

Rate/Review :3


	6. I Thought I Knew You

_Flashback:_

_My mood had become a lot lighter since yesterday, and I even stopped for a moment just to breathe in the air. It was such a nice day outside._

_I even began to start walking before I heard a sinister voice greet me._

"_Hey, Kairi."_

* * *

**A/N: First time I've **_**ever**_** put an A/N at the beginning of a chapter… Hai guise :3 But… again, this chapter may be a little much for some, thus the M rating. I: Just a little warning. Continue at your own risk. I'll try to tone it down, but it's supposed to *spoiler, spoiler* I: xD Okay, sorry .-.**

* * *

Chapter 6: I Thought I Knew You

**Kairi's POV**

I turned and saw Rin.

His red eyes stared down at me in the same way they did earlier; like I was some kind of prey.

"Oh… h-hi, Rin…"

My legs immediately began to shake as he fell into step with me. "You're finally back from America, aren't you? It's been awhile."

I nodded, not sure how to feel. Back in the day, Rin and I never really spoke to each other much; he was always busy swimming.

"Y-yeah."

The look in his eyes hadn't changed until we got a little closer to my house. I was surprised that he knew where to go after all of these years.

"How's talking with my sister? She seems really upset these days."

I tilted my head. "I-I hadn't noticed much…"

His red eyes widened. "Really?" Then he jumped onto a different subject almost immediately.

"Why don't we walk back to my car instead? I'm kinda exhausted; I can drive you to your house if you'd like."

I felt skeptical at first, but he smiled at me without waiting for an answer.

"My car really isn't far from here; I saw you walking and wanted to walk you home-"

I felt myself tune out for only a moment, but moment enough for him to glance at me. "Are you tired, too? Your eyes are all droopy."

My eyebrows creased. _"Since when did Rin become a motor mouth?"_

Shaking the thought out of my head, I knew I shouldn't get into his car, but he had already dragged me to it… and he was tired. I wasn't going to _force _him to walk.

I hopped into the back of his red convertible as he put the roof up.

Twiddling my fingers, I watched his phone buzz. "Oh, shit!"

Rin dove for his phone as he finally put the roof up. It took him only a moment to read the text before he put his keys in.

"Why'd you sit in the back? There's plenty of room up here."

I shook my head. "N-no, it's okay."

My throat tightened up when I watched Rin take a right instead of a left to get to my house. My better judgment told me not to argue with his directions until he decided to get lost.

However, I could hear him growl as we pulled into a narrow road.

"R-Rin? Did you g-get lost? M-my house is t-that way!"

I pointed behind us and it got so dark I couldn't see my hands in front of my face.

Suddenly, a great weight fell on top of me as I struggled to undo my seatbelt. Before I could, we screeched to a stop.

"Don't move." Rin's voice had even changed now. It had gone from bright and friendly to almost angry and commanding. I was terrified; what was I supposed to do?

Take a guess at moving and risk the possibility of getting hurt…

Or not move at all and still risk getting hurt… maybe worse.

The thoughts of my fate swirled in my mind as he unbuckled himself and slid into the seat next to me.

I felt my breath catch in my throat as his hand caressed my stomach slowly and softly.

His hand wandered up to my face, making me flinch away, earning a quick slap.

"Don't move." He reminded me again. Softer, this time.

My heart began beating harder… faster. I was sure my entire body was shaking at this point.

Slowly, his body edged closer to mine. I felt his breath on my neck as he whispered in my ear:

"Did you really think you'd get away with hurting my sister like that?"

My eyes widened. "W-what… did I do…?"

Before I could even breathe after my sentence, my head flew against the window, cracking it as my hand shot for my right eye.

"You're ruining her life, that's what you did. You're stealing her man because you _want_ to, not because you _like_ him."

"W-what? N-no, I… he offered to walk me home…"

I earned another punch to the face, my cheek this time, as I struggled to catch my breath.

A lump in my neck began to form as I swallowed my spittle, trying my best not to cry.

"_If I cry, it could be all over. He might go ballistic and… and kill me…"_

Suddenly, I felt something sharp plunge into my collarbone as I let out a faint scream.

As quickly as the pain came, it went away as I realized Rin had bitten me.

"Don't move unless I tell you to, don't scream _anymore,_" I earned another punch to the head, slamming into the window and breaking through it this time.

I had no time to react as I suddenly was forced down as glass cut into my neck.

"Costing me _money_ now?"

I felt his large hand grab onto my hair as he jerked my head forward and he forced me onto his lap, face first.

"I-I'm sorry…" My voice came out faintly as I forced my numb lips to open and close, but Rin seemed to ignore me as he lifted me up, laying me in a more comfortable position facing upward.

He then lied down on top of me and I could see his eyes. They were hazy, almost as if he couldn't see what he was doing.

"I bet you're used to _this_ position, aren't you, Kairi?"

I shook my head frantically, desperately trying to move out from underneath him. I kicked and tried to push him, but he wouldn't move. He was much bigger than I was.

"Ouch, don't fight me, bitch," Rin had grabbed ahold of a clump of my hair and pulled really hard, making me squeak and stop kicking.

He was breathing heavily now as he let go of my hair. I felt a tear begin to roll down my bruised cheek as he smirked. His white, sharp teeth seemed to glow in the dark.

"Why are you crying? It's not going to hurt _that_ much, is it?"

I shook my head, shutting my eyes. "D-don't! P-please, d-don't…"

My stutter didn't help me much as his eyes sharpened.

"What; you scared of me? It's not easy being a _slut_, is it?"

Despite the pain he was causing me, my eyes opened wide. "Y-you wrote… the letter…?"

His teeth showed again. "Why do you have to bring that up _now_? How about _after_ I'm done with you?"

I shook my head, feeling my hands begin to move toward his chest as I prepared to try to push him off of me.

Almost immediately, both of his hands grabbed mine and they slammed down on both sides of my head.

"That's not comfortable, even for me…" Rin growled as he moved both of our hands just above my head.

"Better."

I felt whimpers escaping my mouth as Rin suddenly dove down and bit my neck this time. The blood from the first one was already drying, but the second one was awful.

My blood immediately ran down toward my shirt and all over the car seats.

"Shit," I heard him curse. "I'll clean that shit up later."

My toes curled up inside of my shoes as I felt something drop down onto my chest, in between my breasts.

It made me squeak again, earning another swift bite to the neck.

"R-Rin… stop…"

My small plea only seemed to motivate him to keep biting me. After a fourth squeak, thus a fourth bite, he refused to take his teeth from my skin as he spoke to me.

"Every time you violate my rules, you're going to get bitten. Depending on the severity, I'll bite hard."

I felt a cold sweat coming on as I shivered for a moment, and he took his teeth out.

"Woah… are you…?"

His eyes opened wide as he stared down at me. "W-what?"

My shaking refused to stop as he leaned in close to me, biting his lip so hard, blood dripped down onto my shirt.

"That's so hot… I'm so tempted to…" He let go of my hands and sat back onto my abdomen, and I could hear his shirt coming off.

It was then when I realized what might happen to me if I let him do what he might do.

My hands fought up as he grabbed them again, lying back down onto me.

"Damn, you're a fighter, aren't you? Should have bought some handcuffs or some shit, you're probably into the kinky stuff."

I shook my head, feeling tears rush out of my eyes.

"P-please… d-don't hurt me… I-I didn't mean to…"

I felt Rin grab my shirt. "Didn't mean to kill your boyfriend? Didn't mean to hurt my sister? Tch."

"I-I didn't kill him…"

"He killed himself _because_ of you! You might as well have killed him."

A small squeal of pain came out of my mouth, earning a punch to my breast this time.

"Slut, you and your ways killed him!"

Rin was breathing harder and harder by the moment as I began shaking again. What if I never got out alive?

That's when he sat back again. Before I could use my opportunity, he growled.

"Move your hands to hit me, bitch, and I'll make sure you won't be able to walk."

I'm not sure in what context he meant to put that in, but I decided against trying to get him off of me again.

Suddenly, cold hands made me yelp as he growled. "Stop shaking, it's turning me on."

His hands wandered further up my body as I felt him groan.

I shook my head. "S-stop…" If I didn't get out of here, I might very well be screwed… quite possibly literally.

When he reached my breasts, I watched him shake for a moment. "I'm so tempted…"

He began to pull my bra down when I hit him in the head and tried to scramble up, but I realized how small I was compared to him again as he held my body down.

"Bitch, I'm getting tired of you hitting me," Rin snarled as he grabbed my left breast forcefully and I felt my scream pierce the car, echoing out the broken window.

I felt him grab my hair again and hit my head against the car seat. As soft as it was, the force he did it with made it hurt.

"Fucking scream again, I dare you."

I shook my head. "Stop hurting me!"

His hands made their way up to my neck. "Don't tell me what to fucking do!"

My breathing stopped for a moment as Rin squeezed my neck, but once he stopped, my head fell limply onto the car seat.

Rin seemed to calm down as he began petting my head, which I could feel numbly, and he began lifting my shirt up with spare hand.

I felt a small cry come from my mouth as he bit down hard just above my left breast.

The pain brought tears to my eyes, and it was then when I realized I couldn't open my right eye. The strength with which he had hit me with must have given me a little more than a black eye.

Just before he began to speak to me, my chin began to vibrate and a light lit up the car. Rin's phone had fallen onto me, I realized.

"Who the fuck…?" Rin growled angrily. I could see how red his face was as he focused on his phone.

My left eye was only half open. I had accepted my doom. If he was going to do what I think he wanted to do to me, then so be it. I couldn't fight. I wasn't strong enough.

The blood from my most recent bite had sprung a large blood leak, making me start to shake.

The blood sensation began to soak through my clothes and onto Rin, as well as his convertible's seats.

The light from his phone, which he was cursing, showed me just how much blood I had lost. The seat had not just a spot; he might as well dye it velvet.

Surprisingly, where the window had broken, none of my blood could be seen, but my blood was all over his mouth. He looked like a shark.

Tears of fear streamed down my cheeks as I could see my blood all over the car.

I had always thought it was odd that I was afraid of water, not blood, but it might be because I was a woman. I had never been so afraid of it until now.

I felt myself begin shaking as Rin slid his phone into his back pocket.

"You're the luckiest slut on Earth. I fucking forgot to repay Sei-idiot his twenty bucks, so I won't do shit to you now. But I fucking will. Just wait, you slut. Get the hell out of the car."

I heard a car door open as he managed to slide out, wiping the glass off of himself.

He pulled me out by my legs, frantically looking around to make sure no one was watching, and he jumped back into his car, pulling out of wherever the hell we were and racing down the street.

My throat cramped up as I tried to stand, but I found my left leg was asleep. Fixing my bra and making myself look like I hadn't just been molested, I began to walk toward wherever his car had pelted off to.

"_Why didn't I fight him? I could have avoided this… if I was stronger."_

I knew why I didn't fight him. He could have killed me easily. I had been more stuck than a caged rabbit.

My feet barely carried me down the street as I realized I had no idea where the hell I was. Looking around, numbly, I felt my intuition take over as I took a left and found myself on the way toward my house.

At this point, though, it was my feet just carrying me there. My right eye wouldn't open, as much as I tried to make it open. My cheek felt so hard… like I had caked glue on top of it. All of my bite marks stung like hell… and my most recent one was still seeping through my shirt.

I held my arms; I never knew something like this would happen to me.

"_Why the hell would this happen to me? What did I do?"_

I shook my head, feeling cold. Hurrying past Haru-sama's house, I ran into mine, tripping galore.

As I closed the door, my entire body seemed to heave as I fell to the floor.

"_I'm such a dumb bitch…"_

There was no way I'd be able to show my face in school, but I knew Mako was probably worried about me in particular. If I didn't show up, he'd be really upset.

"_Why was I such a slut? Maybe I should kill myself, after all."_

Even though I hadn't done anything, I felt so trashy and slutty now. Might as well end my life, like Rin wanted me to.

I found the strength to get up and walk up to my bedroom, where I fell instantly asleep.

* * *

Yeah… to some it might not have been as bad as they thought it was going to be, but to me, I was sweating just writing this.

Molestation is no laughing matter.

Also, it seems confusing now, but it shall make sense later on.

Okay, I'll uh… just leave this here. Hope you review and tell me what you think; I need feedback!

I honestly don't know why I ask for reviews anymore; I mean, I KNOW I suck at writing and describing, but c'mon. I'm here to improve. I'm just not gonna ask anymore. .-. I just need to wait for the Talent Fairy to give me some talent -.-"


	7. Fear

_Flashback:_

"_Why was I such a slut? Maybe I should kill myself, after all."_

_Even though I hadn't done anything, I felt so trashy and slutty now. Might as well end my life, like Rin wanted me to._

_I found the strength to get up and walk up to my bedroom, where I fell instantly asleep._

Chapter 7: Fear

**Kairi's POV**

I woke up that morning and I felt my face sting with pain.

"_I can't go to school today; what am I going to do? People will talk about me…"_

As much as I tried to argue with myself, I knew I _had_ to go to school. No choice, no exceptions.

Struggling to get out of my bed, I sluggishly managed to hop into the shower. The normal heart-jumping terror I felt didn't happen as the pain immediately hit me.

I had to bite down on my tongue as I forced myself into finishing my shower, despite all of the stinging of the still-open cuts I had.

"_Why do they still hurt?"_

Shaking my head, I hopped out of the shower and stared at myself in the mirror. It was then when I had to take a double-take.

All of the bite marks I had were so clearly visible, they looked like tattoos. My eyes widened as I scrambled into my unpacked boxes.

"_I've gotta find a scarf or a turtleneck… something that will hide my neck…"_

I was frantic as I pulled out an ugly orange and red knitted scarf that my grandmother had knitted me for my 5th birthday.

Under any other circumstance, I would have skipped it. I couldn't go around with bite marks on my neck.

**Kou's POV**

Getting to school early, I sat down on a bench inside the school, reading through my Biology book for the big test today.

Of course, that wasn't the only thing that was on my mind. If anything, it wasn't on my mind at all.

I was curious as to what was going to happen to Kairi after she stole _my_ heartthrob.

"_I hope she's happy."_

To be honest, I'd be a damn liar to say I didn't care that she had taken the only person I've ever had a _real_ thing for.

Though, I'd have to admit I saw it coming.

"_I knew I shouldn't have ignored the look of interest in her eyes…"_

My pissy thoughts stopped as Nagisa and Rei arrived through the doors.

"Gou!" The blonde-haired pain in the neck rushed toward me. "Are you coming to practice today?"

I nodded, ignoring what he had called me.

"Good! It's kinda awkwardly quiet when you and Kairi are gone. I enjoy the talking that goes on when you two are there!"

Rei seemed to stretch his arm after shifting his books from one hand to the other. "Isn't our meet coming up soon? Tomorrow, soon?"

I felt my eyes widen. "What? No, you're joking." Pulling out my planner to double-check, it was right there in plain sight. Highlighted in yellow.

"Wow… I had no idea…" Nagisa's jaw had dropped to the floor.

Rei sighed, shaking his head. "Well, while all of you chatty-Kathys talked the day away, I have been working on my form. I don't expect to place high, but I won't humiliate myself like last time."

I couldn't help but smile a bit when I thought about how ungraceful Rei had been before he really learned how to swim.

From a distance, I could see Mako approaching us, seeming to tower over everyone he passed, followed closely by Haru-senpai.

"Haru-chan! Mako-chan!" Nagisa ran up to the two of them and ushered them over to us.

Mako approached us and opened his mouth before Rei cut him off. "No, we don't know where Kairi is."

I giggled when I saw the sour look Mako gave him. "Shut up."

**Haru's POV**

After Mako had come to get me out of the tub, like usual, I had watched Kairi walk out of her house wearing some scarf-looking thing around her neck.

It's too hot to be wearing a scarf, so the sight perplexed me.

It made me even more curious when I realized she hadn't even beat us to school.

To be honest, I hadn't even begun to figure myself out since yesterday. Mako, one of my best friends, had told me that it was okay if I took an interest in the girl that he had a thing for.

I don't know what caused me to be so relieved, but I had been. I didn't even like her like that, and I was happy that he said it was okay if I did.

My own feelings confused me even more. When I had seen that Seijuurrou walking Kairi home, I had the feeling of jealousy, but I had no idea why.

Was it because I wanted Kairi? No. Was it because I was forever alone? No. I had friends.

"Haru-chan!" Nagisa got my attention. "Hmm?"

"Are you ready for the meet tomorrow?! I bet you are! Dolphin-sama!"

I couldn't help but roll my eyes, and as I did, I watched Kairi walk through the front doors.

Mako traced my gaze as I watched his face light up for a moment, but once he saw what I must have been seeing, a frown immediately replaced his smile.

Kairi had her black bangs over her right side, all the way down to her chin. Usually, her hair was out of her face, at least.

Her scarf seemed to make her sweat, due to scarves being out-of-season since it was spring.

In addition to this, she didn't look the same way she did last night. She looked like she was trying to hide; to be unnoticed.

"_Not with that scarf, you don't,"_ I smirked for only a second on the inside, and I watched Mako walk over to her almost immediately.

Glancing backward, I could see Kou staring at her, too. Almost as if she was waiting for something to happen.

**Kairi's POV**

I tried to walk into school without turning any heads with my dumb-looking scarf, but I guess it spoke for itself as people looked at me and smirked.

My first instinct was to take off the scarf and never wear it again, but I knew I couldn't do that. It'd be better if I just kept it on.

My mind was strangely blank, like I couldn't say or compute anything.

"_Should have just stayed home."_

"Hey, Kai-chan!"

I looked up to see Mako-chan walking toward me. "Good morning, Kai-chan."

For the first time ever, I wished I could just disappear, or be invisible so no one would see me. That was the way I used to be… until I made friends.

"Hi."

Instead of my usual stutter, my voice came out as grainy and disgusting as a dead body in a swamp or something. I had never heard myself do. I had never been reduced into someone as dull and half-dead as this.

Mako-chan seemed to notice as well. "Kai-chan… is everything okay?"

I nodded immediately. "Yes," and I felt myself turn on my heel. "I'm just going to get to class. I'll see you at practice."

My heart hurt as soon as I left Mako-chan standing in the middle of the hallway. It was wrong. Wrong as hell.

The wall I had built overnight wouldn't let me accept anyone in, and I was strangely okay with that as I trudged to class.

I was alone, and that's the way I should be.

**Kou's POV**

Kairi walked away as she left Mako standing in the middle of the hall, looking dumbfounded.

I couldn't seem to wipe the smirk off of my face. Whatever 'taking care of' he had done… it'd gotten to her enough that she wanted to isolate herself.

She'd never touch _my_ Sei _ever_ again.

The mere _thought_ of finally having my life back and Kairi being out of it made me smile yet tremble at the same time.

We had been best friends, but the moment she'd touched my Sei, it wasn't a game anymore. He was the only one I'd been able to get really close to, and she'd tried to take him away from me.

Mako trailed back to us as his eyes wandered to the ground.

"Something's wrong," Mako sighed. "Something's very wrong."

I glanced at Nagisa as his face lit up with an idea, like always, but my eyes shot to Haru-senpai.

His focused gaze was trained on something I couldn't see.

I could have cared less at the moment, though.

"_It's a big day. For the first time since Kairi returned to Japan, I'm in the spotlight. I'm not lagging behind her."_

As selfish as my thoughts sounded at first, they were nonetheless as true as the truth could get.

My celebration was cut short, though, when Haru-senpai took off through the hallways almost immediately, his gaze focused on something only he saw.

**Haru's POV**

"_I can't believe I didn't see it before,"_ I silently cursed myself as I felt my feet take off in Kairi's direction.

Of _course_ there had been a _reason_ she was wearing the scarf.

When it fell for a fraction of a second, I saw that reason. Deep bite-marks were in her neck, and I would be a damned fool if I didn't even ask her how the hell she got those.

"_Normally, I'd ask if she got into a bad fight with a cat or something, but… not this time. Definitely not this time."_

The bite-mark I had seen was huge. It was almost as though someone had stuck their teeth in and just sat there, feeling the blood seep out.

I slowed down as I realized I didn't need to ask Kairi how she got them. It was so obvious.

My fingers tightened around my backpack as the bell rang for first period. Hell, I thought I was going to break the strap.

That son of a bitch.

**Practice**

**Kairi's POV**

As the last bell rang, I felt as though I needed to get the hell out of school and just never come back.

My walls had been built pretty high today, and to be honest, I _really_ didn't want to go to practice.

If I didn't, since they all knew I wasn't absent, it could result in a backlash of more shit I didn't need.

The worst of my problems was at practice, too.

At number one, my hydrophobia. Hell, if I never saw another drop of liquid in my _life,_ it'd still be too soon.

Next would definitely be maintaining my wall. At least at home I had the privacy to do whatever I wanted to so I could cool down.

Of course, there's Kou. Not only had our 'friendship' been rough, but I had come to realize that it's _her_ fault my life in Japan had been hell.

Her brother had violated me in a way that I don't think I'd ever forget… and it was because of her stupid insecurity issues thinking that _I_ was trying to take that captain guy from her.

I didn't know if Kou knew what had happened to me or not, but I was sure ready to bust open some heads. It'd been a long time since I'd been fired up about violence.

Opening the doors, the chlorine hit my nose as usual. Typically, I was usually the last to arrive, which was no different from today.

I could hear Nagisa's laughs as he raised his voice. "C'mon, be serious! We have a meet tomorrow, and I'm gonna suck if I don't start trying to find my average time, Rei-chan!"

As I neared the pool, I could feel Mako-chan's gaze on me.

I felt my skin crawl for several seconds before I decided to turn and walk away.

"Hey, Kai-chan! Wait! Where are you going?"

"_Hell,"_ I mentally answered him.

Before he had the chance to catch up to me, I rushed outside. As I dashed through the doors, I got the feeling my scarf was starting to slip. I hurried to fix it, but it was too late. A hand had already laid on my shoulder.

**Haru's POV**

Once Mako started running after Kairi, I knew I had to, too.

I wanted to find out what the hell was wrong, even though I knew. I needed to hear it for myself so I could help fix it. I needed to see the extent of the damage.

Mako was only paces in front of me as we reached the front of the school. I felt myself slow up as he reached Kairi.

"Kai-chan?"

"What?" Her annoyed voice made me nervous, actually. I'd never heard her like this. Her stutter was gone.

Mako's eyes seemed to change. "What happened? It's okay. You can tell us."

I watched Kairi's eyes go through trauma. I could see whatever happened to her… happening over and over in her eyes for no longer than a moment.

"N-no. I can't…"

I could almost breathe a sigh of relief as her stutter came back and she began to sound more like herself.

"Yes, you can. Kairi, I promise Haru and I will do whatever we can to help you." Mako's body language told me he didn't know what the hell he should do.

His hand hadn't left Kairi's shoulder, and his eyes never wavered from hers.

Kairi took a deep breath, but squeaked as she glanced behind me.

I glimpsed behind myself and saw my chance. That son of a bitch just ran by me, and I wasn't going to let him get away with what he did.

**Kairi's POV**

I felt myself yelp with panic as I saw a red-haired man run by.

"_R-Rin…?"_

The fear I had suddenly felt now felt real. When he told me he would 'get me later', I had no doubt in my mind he was serious.

Almost immediately, Haru-sama sprang at the man and threw him onto the ground, throwing punches.

I could see blood beginning to spot on the sidewalk as Mako-chan gasped. "Haru…? What's going on?"

I bit my lip in fear. Who had he jumped on?

"What the hell; what are you doing?!" A familiar voice seemed to yell as Haru didn't let up. It definitely wasn't Rin.

"You're the one who made Kairi cry, huh?" Haru-sama growled, his fist aimed at the victim's face.

"N-no?!" The response only made Haru-sama hit him again.

"Don't even lie to me, Captain. I saw you walking her home yesterday. What'd you do to her?"

"_Captain…?"_

My eyes widened almost immediately. "No! Please, H-Haru-sama… i-it's okay…"

Mako-chan held out his arm to block me from running over.

"I'm telling you not to lie to me. Did you hurt Kairi?" His voice was now strangely calm, as if he was trying to straighten out Nagisa or something.

As the captain stood up, I watched blood pour all over his shirt from his nose. "No! I didn't even walk her all the way home! I only walked her halfway! I swear!"

Haru-sama seemed to raise his eyebrows in a daring way. I had never seen him this angry.

"Kairi, is he lying to me?"

Haru-sama had turned to me, his deep blue eyes sharp with anger.

"W-what?" My jaw began to tremble.

"Is he lying to me? Did he hurt you?" Haru-sama seemed so nonchalant, yet his eyes and posture told me how pissed off he was.

I shook my head. "N-no. Neither. He-he's a nice guy…"

Haru-sama seemed to nod and he looked back to Sei. "Sorry."

Sei seemed to snort as he struggled to regain his stance and kept jogging, despite his bloody and probably-broken nose.

**Haru's POV**

I felt so alive after I began hitting Sei.

Even though he hadn't done anything to Kairi, it still felt good to hit him. I had my reasons.

I looked back to Mako and Kairi, and I've never seen my best friend look so surprised.

"Why'd you jump him, Haru?" His caring words fell on deaf ears as I shrugged. "Intuition."

My eyes wandered to Kairi, who was staring up at me with fear. My heart seemed to jump.

I had never seen anyone so frightened of something… especially of me.

"You know what," Mako spoke up. "I think Kairi's had a long day."

I nodded. "Kairi, do you want to go home and rest?"

Her purple eyes struck me like lightning as she nodded. "I-I'll walk there alone."

Mako shook his head immediately. "Haru and I will walk you there, right?"

I didn't even feel the need to nod as I fell into step beside Kairi.

It was then when her scarf fell down just enough for me to see another bite-mark.

This one was clean, unlike the other one I had seen. It looked just like a shark had bitten into her.

No one with _normal_ teeth would be able to pull this off.

How could I have been so blind?

* * *

Well… this chapter was a waste of time .-. Bout done with writing this story, I feel like a failure x.x


	8. Confessions of the Heart

_Flashback:_

_This one was clean, unlike the other one I had seen. It looked just like a shark had bitten into her._

_No one with normal teeth would be able to pull this off._

_How could I have been so blind?_

Chapter 8: Confessions of the Heart

**Kou's POV**

I couldn't believe what the hell I'd just seen.

Who gave a shit if her feelings were hurt? Mine were broken beyond repair, and if I made as big of a deal out of it as she did, I'd look like an idiot.

No one would give a shit.

What exactly made Kairi better than me, huh?

I watched Nagisa and Rei seem to shrug as they began drilling each other, which was what the others _would_ be doing if my stupid friend from America hadn't returned.

**Kairi's POV**

I felt numb as I walked beside Haru-sama and Mako-chan. Why did it matter that I felt like shit and wanted to kill myself? Why should they care?

"_It wouldn't affect them anyway. If I killed myself, they'd be upset about it for a week… then decide life goes on."_

"Haru," Mako towered above me as he glanced at his friend. "Why'd you jump on Sei like that…?"

"I assumed something that didn't happen. I apologized."

After a quick peek at Haru-sama, I could see the hard concentration in them. I could see how his gears were rapidly turning.

The way he had attacked Sei… it made me tremble for a moment. I had never felt so frightened of someone as calm as him.

"Kairi," Haru-sama looked down at me. "What do you want for dinner? You look like you haven't been eating."

I looked away. There was no way in hell I'd been able to eat for a few days, now… especially today.

"I'm not h-hungry."

Mako-chan seemed to flail his arms. "What? You have to eat _something_ for dinner, Kai-chan!"

I shook my head as I watched a bird fly from a nearby tree. "I-I'm not hungry."

Mako-chan sighed. "Haru, what do you feel like making?"

"We'll see what I have."

The remainder of the journey was spent in silence until we hit Haru's doorstep. He reached for his key and unlocked the door, letting us in.

I felt my heart drop when I saw how clean and tidy it was.

The walls were mostly blue, except for the kitchen, which was gray.

"I'm thinking of making fish. What do you think?"

Haru-sama stared at me for a moment, and I felt myself shrink behind Mako-chan. "I-I've never tried it."

It was silent for only a moment until Haru-sama sighed and put an apron over his swimsuit.

Mako-chan glanced back at me and took me over to one of the couches in his living room.

My thoughts began to wander again as he invited me to sit next to him.

"_Would either of them care if I killed myself?"_

**Haru's POV**

I had already begun cooking the fish I had as I heard Mako's voice from faraway.

"Kai-chan, what's happened over the past few days?"

Kairi only seemed to sigh as I glanced behind me to see her shake her head sadly. "N-nothing."

"_She's lying."_

I felt my eyes close for a moment in concentration as I heard Mako speak again.

"Kai-chan, it's alright. It's okay if… if something happened. Haru and I want to help you because we _know_ something's wrong."

I could hear Mako's exasperated sigh.

"_She's not going to tell him anything."_

Glancing back, I could see Mako walking toward me and Kairi following closely behind him.

Kairi's bangs flew out of her face for a moment and I saw something there. I hoped it was only my imagination as I forgot about the fish I had been cooking.

"Stay still, Kairi. Don't move." I said, as I neared her. I don't know what I'd said wrong, but she hid behind Mako as I got close to her.

**Kairi's POV**

When Haru-sama had uttered the same words that Rin had said to me only 24 hours earlier, I couldn't help but back away from him.

Fear crept up my throat as I shook my head when Mako-chan looked at me, curiously.

I felt my hand wander up to my face as I felt the bruises behind my bangs. _"That's what he must have seen."_

Shaking, I felt myself begin to back away from Mako-chan.

"Kai-chan, what's the matter? Are you hurt?"

His caring voice made me tremble. Did he really care about me, or was it just a bluff? Like the rest of the people who pretended to know me?

Haru-sama had followed me back to the couches as he grabbed my wrist.

"Stop." His dark tone made me attempt to pull away.

"D-don't touch m-me!"

The fierceness in my voice, despite the stutter, made even _me_ back up for a moment. Haru-sama still hadn't let me go, though.

"Let me see."

His voice had changed. He didn't sound angry with me or upset. Just concerned.

I felt Mako-chan run up beside me. "What's wrong?"

As Haru-sama's cold hands touched my face, I fought the immediate flinch I knew was coming on.

He moved the bangs from my face and I tried to open my right eye to see the extent of his reaction.

I couldn't.

It was almost as if Haru-sama jumped back as he let my hair cascade over the scarred side of me.

Mako-chan backed away, too. "What the…?"

I shook my head. "I-I'm sorry. I didn't know… I didn't realize what he'd do to me…"

**Haru's POV**

The shock from seeing Kairi's beaten face was enough for the day… to hear what she was telling us was a different story.

"What who would do to you?"

I forced my voice to remain steady. The anger I felt could easily spill over, I realized. I didn't want to scare her. Not again.

Mako was standing there, in surprise. His mouth moved, but he didn't say anything as he shook his head and made his way to the couch.

Kairi stared at me, backing away. "I-I'm sorry… I…"

The anxiety and panic she wore on her face made my skin crawl with horror. No one should ever be reduced to this.

"I-I should have j-just killed myself w-when I h-had the drive to. N-now, everything is w-worse."

The Kairi I knew was staring up at me, but the words she said to me must have come from someone else.

"What? Who the hell told you that?"

My tone only sounded harsh because I was scared, right? I wasn't angry.

"_I'm trying so hard not to get angry and punch something… why in hell would that bastard do this to someone like Kairi?"_

Thoughts seemed to bombard me easily.

Because she's weak.

Because she's tiny.

Because she was alone.

It was then when I realized… it was because she thought he was going to help her. She thought she could trust him because she thought he'd be the same after all those years ago.

My frustration allowed itself to get to an all-time high as Kairi backed away from me.

"I-I have decided… all of these scars aren't worth it. I-I need to… get r-rid of myself."

I knew exactly which scars she spoke of as she removed her scarf, but I had no idea there'd be so fucking many of them. I counted at least five bite-marks on her neck before I had to turn away.

"_Out of all the fucking people in Japan… why would he do this to Kairi?"_

I could feel the anger inside of me emerging as goose bumps began to show on my arms.

As I turned back around, Kairi looked over at Mako, who had jumped off of the couch in an instant when the sight registered in his mind.

"Who did it?"

Kairi immediately backed up into me as Mako got even closer to her. "Who did it, Kairi? I'll kill 'em."

My eyes widened as Mako seemed to be pulled toward her. I had never seen my best friend with so much venom and malice in his voice and eyes.

He had never said he wanted to kill _anyone _in front of me, ever.

Kairi scurried behind me as she shook her head. "I-If I tell you… he-he might…"

I could hear her start to cry.

**Kairi's POV**

My personal walls began to crumble again as I began to cry.

"_I'm so ugly now! I'm a slutty, ugly, bitchy person who deserves to die!"_

With each thought that I decided to label myself as, I cried harder. Burying my head in my hands, I saw no more as someone rushed past me and I was left standing there.

Suddenly, strong arms curled around me and I stopped crying, surprisingly.

I turned to see Mako-chan leaning down to hold me (because he's the tallest kid I've ever met) as he rested his head on my shoulder.

"It's okay, Kai-chan. Don't cry anymore."

His kind words only made me sniffle as I fought the tears back.

"_He's right. I shouldn't cry anymore."_

Despite how much I wanted to stop, the tears slipped through my wall again and I kept crying. I knew I couldn't stop.

"Kai-chan, it's alright. Please, stop crying."

Mako-chan's gentle voice only made the pains in my heart grow stronger as I realized he cared about me.

**Haru's POV**

As Kairi began to cry, I realized just how much I couldn't take it.

The sight made my insides twist and I couldn't stand there and just watch. At the same time, I had no idea what the hell I should do about it.

"_I'm not like Mako… I can't simply be compassionate. I… I don't know how."_

After I had hurried back into the kitchen to check on my fish, I could hear Kairi's cries slowly ending.

"_Please stop crying,"_ I thought as I bit my feelings back into my brain before they played on my lips. _"I can't take it, Kairi. Please stop crying."_

I found that my fish was a little more than done when I finally got my brain to stop thinking about her and more on the fish I had overcooked.

As I grabbed plates to serve everyone with, I could hear Kairi's soft voice whisper to Mako:

"I-I'm s-sorry… I c-can't…"

"_I need to get her to stop crying..."_

My eyes closed as I slammed my fists on the counter. _"I don't care about her in that way! If anything, she's only a friend and that's that. Mako obviously likes her, so why can't you respect that, you stupid fuck?!"_

Cussing myself out didn't help much as I heard Mako try to calm her down:

"Kairi… it's alright. You don't have to tell us what happened if you're sure we can't do anything to help."

I began cutting the fish when I heard her sigh, trying to concentrate.

"_I know fucking Rin with his damn shark teeth did this to her… but why? Why would he do something to Kairi?"_

The thought confused me as I forced myself to walk into the living room.

Kairi stared at me as Mako let go of her. I handed them each their plates as I walked back into the kitchen to get my own.

Mako bit into his fish as he flinched. "Bit overdone, don't ya think?"

I felt my eyes narrow, but Kairi spoke up, her eyes trained on me. "I-it's lovely nonetheless."

As I bit into my own creation, I understood just _how_ overdone it was as I focused on finishing it as fast as I could.

**Kairi's POV**

I watched as Mako-chan finished up his piece of fish, and I realized I couldn't finish mine.

As I quickly ate up, despite what my stomach could take these days, Mako-chan stared at me.

I glanced at him and noticed he had said my name. I hadn't heard him, though.

With a second glance, I could see how blank yet thoughtful Mako-chan was as he stood up.

"I've gotta get home; homework's been a bitch these days. Bye, Kai-chan." Regardless of how he might have been feeling, his gentle smile touched me as he stood and waved a goodbye to Haru-sama.

"Text me later, man."

Once Mako-chan had left, I looked up to see Haru-sama staring at me.

**Haru's POV**

I realized why Mako had left the moment he set his eyes on me as he walked out the door.

He couldn't stand Kairi being upset, either.

I turned back to her, and our eyes locked for a moment. I felt something flare up inside of me, making me nervous, as I walked toward her.

"Kairi."

Her one purple eye widened. "Y-yes?"

"Rin did this to you… didn't he?"

I watched her blink for a moment before she began shaking again. "H-how…?"

"We were… best friends."

She nodded. "O-oh. I s-see… h-has he changed… s-since then?"

I felt myself sigh. "Hell yeah."

Her eyebrows knitted together in what seemed like worry. "I c-can't believe I thought he was gonna t-take me h-home. Why am I so stupid?"

Kairi's voice cracked on that last word as she began to cry again, putting her hands up to her ears and hiding her face.

"_What am I supposed to do…?"_

I watched her cry for a while, speechless, until I got the courage to take her hand.

"Kairi… why are you crying?"

I didn't expect her to answer me or even stop crying for that matter. She hadn't with Mako, so why should she with me?

"H-Haru-sama… I… I am going to go home, and if you don't see me at school tomorrow, come by my h-house with the c-cops."

My eyes opened wide. "What? Why?"

Kairi looked up at me, her only open eye blinded by tears. "I am going to commit suicide."

I felt my heart stop beating for a moment.

Who the hell did Rin think he was, fucking around with Kairi enough to make her want to take her own life?

"No," I shook my head, letting go of her hand. "No. Kairi, I won't let you."

She stood up, stomping her foot. "Why? It's not like _you'd_ care! It's not like a-any of you w-would care!"

"_I would. I'd care, Kairi."_

I longed to say the words out loud, but I knew what kind of turn that'd make me take. I'd screw Mako over.

Kairi seemed to almost swallow back her words as she covered her mouth with her hand in shock.

"You can think _I_ don't care all you want, but Mako would. Definitely."

The words made me bite my own lip. I was happy that my friend had found her, even if that meant he'd talked about her 24/7, but… what if…

I shook the thought out of my head almost instantly as Kairi's eye opened wide.

"R-really…?"

I nodded and held my hand up to her, waiting for her to take it. _"He would be better suited for Kairi than I would, anyway."_

The thought made me seethe in anger at my own brain for being so self-conscious as Kairi took my hand and sat down beside me.

"I don't care what Rin did to you, I don't care what he said to you. I _do_ care that it's not worth killing yourself over."

She looked like she was about to open her mouth in protest, but I felt my brain just say everything on my mind.

"Kairi, Mako really cares about you. He does, trust me. I care about you, too. I don't… I don't think he would ever forgive himself if… if you killed yourself."

She looked away as she seemed to bite her tongue.

"D-does anyone care about me like… like that?"

I felt my hand move automatically as I lifted her head up by her chin and faced her toward me.

"Yes."

My mind was reeling now. Why the hell was I feeling this way? I was frantic; I felt my triceps flex as I let go of her chin. Kairi was still staring at me.

"Y-you do, too?"

I bit my lip for a moment, and I nodded. I couldn't say no, because it sure as hell wasn't anything near true.

As our eyes connected, in that very moment, I felt it.

I hadn't felt this way about _anyone_. I could feel the weight of lying to myself drop off of my heart instantly.

All of the thoughts I'd recently had. All of the dreams that I dismissed as 'stupid' and 'irrelevant'… they were all about her.

I found myself even thinking about her when I waded in my bathtub sometimes.

In class, when I read books, I wandered off and read the same sentences over and over again as I thought about her.

When practice came around, I always glanced toward the school to see if she was coming.

When I swam, I always thought about her. Whenever I thought of her, her smiling face always made me feel more calm than usual. Especially when I swam.

Hell, whenever I _wasn't_ thinking about her, Mako seemed to come around and ask about her just to remind me.

"_I can't believe I'm screwing him over, I'm a terrible fucking friend."_

I had tried so hard not to give into my stupid feelings so I wouldn't have to deal with all of that drama. Now that I had, how would Mako feel about it?

**Kairi's POV**

I looked into Haru-sama's eyes as they changed.

Their usual hard demeanor had softened until he looked almost like Mako-chan with his eyes. I had never seen such a change in someone's expression.

"H-Haru-sama…?" I whispered, balling my hands up in my lap, nervously.

He seemed to snap out of it as his eyes attempted to change back into their tough disposition, but only transformed halfway.

"Yeah?"

"I-I wish I could tell you e-everything he did to me, but I-I can't…"

Haru-sama seemed to nod as he looked away for but a moment. "I understand, Kairi."

I stood up as I nodded toward the door. "I-I need to… to go home…"

He seemed to attempt to smile at me, but when he failed, he led me to the door, handing me my scarf.

"Okay. Bye, Kairi."

I bowed a little bit, but when I turned to sprint, he caught my attention again.

"Don't do _anything_ to hurt yourself."

I slowly nodded. I had changed my mind after he said he and Mako cared about me. It made me feel like I had some sort of cushion to lean back onto when I felt half-dead, like now.

As he closed the door, I hurried up to my house. Once I let myself in, I focused on doing my small amount of homework, taking me upwards thirty minutes to complete.

I finished up and began working on all of the boxes I had yet to unpack. As I looked at them, I glanced to my counter.

The bouquet Mako and Haru had given me was still there, the get-well-soon letter hanging from it.

"_They do… care about me."_ I felt myself smile.

**Haru's POV**

I'd be a damn liar to say that I didn't watch her walk up to her house… but I'd be well on my way to hell if I forgot to mention that this wasn't the first time, either.

"_Why did I make myself believe… I didn't… feel anything?"_

The way it felt when I thought about her. It was different; more different than any feeling I'd ever experienced.

It was so unlike any other feeling I've ever felt… that it felt dangerous.

As I turned away from the window, I watched my phone, which I had set on the kitchen counter, vibrate.

"_Must be… Mako."_

I felt terrible, but I had to tell him. I had to tell him what I'd felt about Kairi, and that I was sorry I'd let myself feel this way.

The text I'd received was like any other day; nothing out of the ordinary.

_Hey, Haru! How's tlking to Kai-chan?_

I shook my head as I leaned against the counter, typing.

_It was fine, she just went home. I talked her out of committing suicide._

Waiting for his response was like waiting for hell to freeze over.

"_Must be straightening out his siblings,"_ I mused.

When it finally came, I realized why it'd taken so long:

_I hope you did. I don't ever want to see her cry like that again, Haru. That hurt like hell. I can't even begin to imagine what she must be feeling. Did you get any information out of her… like who did all that shit to her? She seems to trust you more than a lot of people, I think. I'd like to beat the fucker into next week, if you're up for it._

I shook my head. What would I say to him? How would he take me liking her in the same way as he did?

I started out the text the best I could.

_I don't want to see her cry like that, either. And… _

Stopping there, I realized I couldn't put the burden on the others about Rin being behind Kairi's pain.

"_Once it's all sorted out and I'm absolutely sure… then I'll tell him."_

_I didn't get any information out of her. I'll help you if we find the guy who did it, though. Also, you got time for a phone call? I need to say something to you that would be kinda awkward over a text._

The big moment was arriving. The moment where I finally admit that I felt something more for Kairi to my best friend… who saw her first.

My phone buzzed with a text and I scrambled to read it.

_Hell yeah I've got time. What; you gonna say you love me? Lol._

I rolled my eyes. There he goes again with all of _that_ shit. I didn't even have time to figure out how to respond to that as my phone rang.

I picked up on the first ring as Mako seemed to scream in my ear:

"What's up, Haru?!"

Turning the volume down, I sighed. "Listen, Mako… I've got something to tell you."

"Is it serious?"

"Kinda, yeah."

"Is it… is it about Kairi?"

I flinched as I shook my head. "Yeah."

He sighed, and I could literally imagine his kind, green eyes staring at me.

"_You_ listen, Haru. I know how hard you tried to hide your feelings. C'mon; we're best friends. I saw the way you thought about her. I saw how different your face looked."

He paused for a moment before continuing:

"Haru, if you're going to say you feel some way about her, that's alright."

My eyes widened as I rubbed my forehead. "Really…?"

Normally, I'd bypass this as him trying to act all tough and strong at heart when he's really not, but I realized how sincere he was.

"Yeah. From day one, to be honest, I always knew she wasn't going to be mine. I looked at her in my way… and she looked at me differently. I knew she wouldn't like me in the same way, no matter how hard I tried."

I could hear myself breathing hard. Was this real?

"Also, uh… I could see the way she trusted you immediately more than she trusted me. Kairi had always gravitated toward you, and even an idiot like me could see that. I accepted it, though. We're best friends, man. I'd never sacrifice that for anything."

I held the phone to my ear as I slid down the wall. "Y-you don't have to act like you're okay with this, Mako. Get mad at me all you want; I feel terrible as hell that I just… screwed you like that."

His sigh made my ear pop as he seemed to almost roll his eyes. "No. I'm not angry. I'm actually relieved. I kept telling myself to stop trying to get her to like me… because I _knew_ it wouldn't happen. It stressed the hell out of me. Then, I realized… you and her. You two would be perfect. It felt wrong in my head, but right in my heart."

My eyes went wide as I trained my gaze on whatever the hell was on my wall, I wasn't bothered to see what it was, as he seemed to smile through the phone.

"I'm just saying, Haru, that it's alright. I understand."

"I… Thank you…" My voice was almost foreign to me as I spoke to him. I couldn't believe it. He was actually… letting me… have a chance with her?

Mako laughed for a minute. "No problem! I'll see you tomorrow! Get ready for the meet tomorrow!"

With a swift goodbye, I clicked my phone off. There was no way in hell what had just happened was real.

The _real_ Mako would have at least shouldered some kind of anger toward me. He wouldn't just pass it up like it was nothing… would he?

I stood up, feeling my phone slide out of my hand and onto the floor.

Would Kairi ever feel the same way about me? Did she even like me as a friend?

All of the thoughts I had blocked had seemed to burst forth as I made my way upstairs.

"Kairi."

I said her name out loud to myself. I hadn't noticed the way I said it. It was like a whisper. It didn't take effort… it was natural on my tongue.

As I made my way to my room, I looked out of my window to see Kairi's blue house.

I could actually _see_ her inside, opening the unpacked boxes of hers. The sight of her mesmerized me as I sat on my bed and watched.

To be honest, I watched until she was out of sight and until my eyes wouldn't stay open.

Almost unconsciously, I lied down on my bed, not even bothering to change out of my swimwear.

"_Kairi."_

The taste of her name in my mouth was like melting chocolate as I felt my eyes drift closed and my fingers grip my pillow.

I'd do anything for Kairi, and I knew it.

**Kou's POV**

After that lame as hell practice, I felt my feet carry me to my house almost automatically.

My mom said her usual 'hello, how was school' and I answered with my usual 'it was fine'.

I walked up to my room, numbly grabbing for my phone.

_Rin, what are you doing?_

I sent the text and glanced out of my window. I still wondered what the hell he'd done to Kairi to make her 'pay'.

"_Maybe I'll ask him when I see him next… maybe he'll be at the meet tomorrow."_

My phone rang in my hand as I glanced at my new text.

_I came up with a plan. Do you think I should do it?_

Shrugging, I called him, hearing the phone ring three times before he bothered to pick up.

"Here, I hope you like it."

As he started explaining, I felt a smile spread up my face. It was the cruelest thing that he'd ever said… and I liked it.

* * *

Hohoho. G/Kou getting' jiggy wid it! .-.

Anyhow, I'm sorry I didn't post yesterday, I went shopping all day (I'm on vaca) and I was tired I:

But I'm back now and I super charged this chapter at a whopping 4.9k words (my avg. is about 3k) so I hope I made up for it.

Also, the ego bursting reviews kinda helped. I was honestly about to stop last chapter. Legitimately. I just thought everything I wrote was shit (this chapter isn't that good, to be honest) and that I might as well stop now.

But the reviews have helped me a hella lot. So… thanks to all who have reviewed so far ^_^

Next chapter, things get interesting.


	9. Where'd You Go?

_Flashback:_

_My phone rang in my hand as I glanced at my new text._

_I came up with a plan. Do you think I should do it?_

_Shrugging, I called him, hearing the phone ring three times before he bothered to pick up._

"_Here, I hope you like it."_

_As he started explaining, I felt a smile spread up my face. It was the cruelest thing that he'd ever said… and I liked it._

Chapter 9: Where'd You Go?

**Haru's POV**

From the moment I had woken up, the only thing on my mind was Kairi. Of course, the thought of the meet that was coming up crossed my mind, but that was beside the point.

I felt relieved as I finally sunk down into my bathtub.

"_The meet is today… I wonder how the hell I'm going to do. I haven't been trying at all these last few days."_

Without bothering to admit to myself _why_, I slowly sunk beneath the water, slowly feeling encased by the serene feeling of the liquid.

It only seemed like I sat there for a moment when I saw a hand flash toward me.

I shot out of the water, shaking my head.

"Good morning, Haru!" Mako was staring down at me with his gifted set of green eyes.

"_I still… can't believe… he's… not angry."_

I felt myself stumble for a moment at how thoughtless I had become as I stepped out of the pool.

Mako stared at me before he summoned me out of the bathroom.

"You ready for our meet today?"

I nodded. It's not that I expected to do well; all I was _really_ in it for was the watery sensation.

Mako smiled brightly as I pulled my uniform on and we headed out the door.

"Hmm?"

I had glanced over at Kairi's house, and I could see a car parked in front of it.

"_But she walks to school. I wonder who that is…?"_

As my feet immediately began carrying me there, I felt Mako put his hand on my shoulder.

"We'd better get to class."

My mouth opened as I slowly stopped myself. I had almost complained about it.

"_That's going to get me in trouble someday."_ Since when had I developed such a rash side of myself? It wasn't like me to argue.

I turned on my heel as I glanced back at that car. It was a nice one, too.

The license plate read 'Pl-Shrk' as I continued to stare as we walked down the street.

"_Maybe she has family visiting."_

That red convertible was nice indeed.

**Kairi's POV**

I woke up in the morning, feeling shitty.

"_Maybe I should stay home today…"_

Instantly, I shook my head. The meet was today, and there was no way in hell I was going to stay home.

Sluggishly, I weaseled my way out of bed and into the shower. I shivered when I realized just how cold the water had become.

"_At least it doesn't feel like blood,"_ I mused to myself as I quickly washed and hopped right out, drying myself off.

I stared at myself in the mirror as I felt all of the bite-marks in my skin. I stuck my pinky in the final one; the one above my left breast.

I shouldn't have let him. I should have tried to fight.

As I dressed in a tanktop and my short-shorts, simply so I didn't have to walk around my house naked, I went in search of my hairbrush.

"_I was sure I left it on the counter…"_

That wasn't the proper place to put a hairbrush, and I knew it, but my hair had gotten tangled and I had been watching TV when I had realized it.

My foot hit the bottom step as I looked around.

"_Something's not right."_

My arms got goose bumps on them. Have you ever gotten the feeling that someone was watching you, even if it was just a doll or the neighbor's dog?

Quickly, I found my brush, right on the counter where I had left it, as I hurried back up the stairs.

The bathroom door was in sight. If I could reach getting there, then whatever was 'staring' at me wouldn't get me.

"_You're being silly,"_ shook in place for a moment as I took a step toward the bathroom, and that's when I hit the ground.

Panic swam up to my throat as I screamed as loud as I could before a force hit me in the back of the head.

"Shut up, will you?"

My eyes opened wide as I felt myself succumb to that growl.

"_Not again."_

I had literally just told myself that if I was ever in the same situation again, I'd fight him. Now that he was literally sitting on my back, I realized I couldn't do anything about it.

I was too weak to even try.

"Hey," I squeaked as he yanked my hair. "Don't even move unless I tell you to, or I'll make sure you'll never move again. Got it?"

I felt tears begin to gather in my eyes as I shook my head again.

His cold hand grabbed at my wrist. "C'mon, I gotta put you in my car again. This time, we're going somewhere special."

My legs felt numb as I forced myself up and the grip he had on my wrist tightened considerably.

Where was he taking me? The ocean? So he could kill me and leave me there for someone to find?

How did he get in? Did I leave my door unlocked? I couldn't remember.

Rin forced me down the stairs as I shook my head. "W-where are you taking me?"

I half-expected to get hit again, but he only glanced at me. "You'll see."

His emotions were hard to read as I tripped over my own feet at the last step as I glanced behind me.

Would this be the last time I saw my home?

My eyes wandered to the bouquet, which had begun to wilt. Would I ever see my new friends again?

Rin suddenly pushed me forward. "We don't have time."

The anger I had expected from him just wasn't there as he forced me into his car as he jumped in and stepped on the gas.

I realized how easily I could stop him, even right now.

"_I could throw something at him or force him to stop the car… I could jump out and just run…"_

My eyes filled up again with tears as I fought to keep them back. I couldn't do any of those things because I was weak.

I let my eyes wander up as I saw Iwatobi High a few blocks away. I forced myself to look away.

The drive was silent until we reached a ghetto-looking area that had nice houses and an apartment complex.

"Dammit," I could hear Rin mutter under his breath as his grip tightened on the steering wheel.

His bloody eyes scowled at me through his rearview mirror for only a moment as we made a sharp turn and the car skidded to a stop.

"Get out of the car," Rin ordered me as he unbuckled himself.

I was completely thoughtless as I focused on doing only what he told me to do. If I stepped even a _hair_ out of line, he could kill me. I couldn't let that happen.

I needed to survive.

As I finally got out of his car, his eyes turned to me for only a moment before grabbing my arm forcefully and pulling me behind him.

My eyes wandered as I realized we were walking toward a small house that didn't look harmful at all.

The front yard was small, but I could see dandelions and all sorts of beautiful weeds scattered about.

Rin let go of me as he reached for his pocket. "Don't try anything, or I'll beat you into next week."

The threat was enough to make me hold my breath as he stuck the key into the keyhole and opened the door.

It was dark, but as my eyes adjusted I could see an average household.

Couches, a kitchen, a room that led out to a bedroom. Other than there being magazines on the couch, nothing stood out to me as dangerous.

"_Is this… where he lives?"_

My thoughts began to wander as he yanked my hand.

"Bitch; I have some rules for you. You're not to fucking leave the house, ever. Not even to stand on the damn porch. Got it?"

I nodded as he led me up the stairs, now jerking my arm up. "Don't touch a fucking phone to do _anything._ Most importantly," his voice began to calm down as we reached a door at the end of the hall. "Don't ever leave this room unless I give you permission. Okay?"

My lips parted as I breathed the only thing on my mind: "Or what?"

His eyes shot to me as he took his hand off of the nob on the door. "Or I'll fucking drown you and fucking throw you into the ocean so you can be around water forever."

I bit into my lip now. _"He had been serious when he told me he'd come back to get me… and… I'm sure he's serious about that, too…"_

He opened the door forcefully as I was greeted with a beautiful guest bedroom, with flowers in a vase as well as daisies on the covers of the small bed. However, the only window in the room was high above my head.

Rin led me toward the bed and forced me on it as he pulled some rope from underneath it. "This is just to ensure that you won't try anything, fucking slut. I'll come by after school to feed you and shit."

He began tying my wrists to the head of the bed as I tried to get into a comfortable position. I knew I probably wouldn't dare trying anything.

After glancing at his watch, he closed the door and soon after, I heard a click as he ran down the stairs.

As I heard the door close, the house was left in a beautiful silence as I watched the sun come up.

Despite the circumstances, he had put me into a beautiful room, not some kind of closet or the basement.

Why was that?

I felt my eyes beginning to drift closed. _"Might as well sleep my days away."_

After a moment of trying to lie down, I realized that the ropes restricted me as I let my head loll onto my shoulder as I transported myself to my own dreamy world.

**Haru's POV**

As I had gathered my things to get ready for our swim meet, I heard something from Nagisa that I couldn't believe.

"Kairi isn't here, Haru-chan!"

My eyes opened wide as her words flashed through my mind:

"_If I'm not at school tomorrow, come by my house with the cops…"_

I shook it away immediately. I had talked her out of it, she was probably fine.

The thought of the red convertible stuck with me. Had family returned so she took the day off?

"I'm sure she has her reasons," Mako filled in a response for me, as usual.

Kou had shown up late today as well. "Sorry! I was finishing up an assignment! Are you guys ready to kick some ass?!"

The entire team had only time to stare. She had been acting strangely ever since Kairi had returned… but for two days now, it had been just out of the ordinary.

I forced myself to forget all of my thoughts as we jogged to our meeting place; Samezuka Academy.

The thought crossed my mind if Rin was going to be there.

That was only a lead-on as my brain seemed to explode to attract my attention to something I'd tried to take out of it.

Where was Kairi?

My eyebrows creased as my thoughts began to worry me. Had she killed herself, like she told me she would?

"_No…"_

At the same time, my brain told me not to doubt it, as it could have still been a possibility.

When we had finally arrived, I dressed with the speed of light as Rei glanced at me. "I wish Kairi could see you swim competitively. She's only seen you screw around."

I couldn't help but glare at that comment as I focused on stretching. Kairi had been the only thing on my mind as I began thinking about the pool.

Was she okay?

Mako seemed to look over at me as I thought about it.

Kou rushed into the changing room just as Rei had shown us all he had to offer, making her look away.

"Ack! I'm sorry! I'm only here to say that Rin isn't here! Bye!"

My eyebrows shot up.

"_Rin isn't here?"_

The thought was relieving, yet troubling.

Hell, where was he? It'd have been a great time to confront him about Kairi and what he did to her.

"Haru, where do you think Kairi is? Do… do you think she's okay?"

Mako's worried expression made me look away.

"I'm sure she's fine."

"_I damn well hope that's true."_

My last thought seemed to stick with me as I finished changing and headed out to the pool.

**Kairi's POV**

I have no idea what time I woke up at, but the sun was shining brightly and there were children laughing outside.

"_Where am I?"_

I had to do a double-take as I tried to remember where the hell I was at.

A door suddenly closed as I remembered. Rin, of course.

His footsteps came up the stairs as he unlocked the door.

"Hey, bitch. Brought you some food," he tossed me a sandwich that landed on my lap.

"I-um… I can't eat this…" I struggled to get my hands free as Rin shook his head. "I'll just feed it to you, like the slut you are."

As calm as his voice sounded, his edged comment at the end of his sentence unnerved me.

I slowly opened my mouth as Rin picked up my sandwich, feeding it to me.

"_Why's he being so… kind of nice to me?"_

If any other man had kidnapped someone like me… I'd be locked in a dark place where he'd probably only feed me a bowlful of cat food maybe once a day.

The only bad things about Rin kidnapping me was the names he called me and how he'd locked me in a room and tied me up.

It just didn't make sense to me.

* * *

Interesting, right? .-. What a half-assed chapter. I:

Sorry for the awkward ending, I've gotta get to bed. I only posted today because I shall be gone for a day (or two) as I will finally be returning home. :3

Also, thank you for ze reviews, they have given me hope ^_^

I won't post until I finally get home, so T_T enjoy D: Bai T_T…

Oh… and there will definitely be more action. Maybe even next chapter. I have my ways. xD Hmm... (le think face)

Okay, bai .-.


	10. Distance

_Flashback:_

_If any other man had kidnapped someone like me… I'd be locked in a dark place where he'd probably only feed me a bowlful of cat food maybe once a day._

_The only bad things about Rin kidnapping me was the names he called me and how he'd locked me in a room and tied me up._

_It just didn't make sense to me._

Chapter 10: Distance

**Haru's POV**

After claiming first prize at the meet for the fastest time overall, I couldn't say I was happy about it.

Kairi was really the only thing on my mind.

The medal that hung around my neck swung back and forth repeatedly as my thoughts wandered.

"_I wanted her to watch me swim… where would she go on a day like this?"_

"Haru-chan! Nice swimming, you looked more concentrated than usual!" Nagisa spoke to me in a rushed manner.

I nodded as I continued to think.

"_That red convertible… who's was it? Did her parents suddenly come back for a visit?"_

All of my feelings made my fingers itch. Was she really okay?

Mako turned to me. "I'll go with you."

My eyes widened as I looked away.

"_Am I really that easy to read…?"_

After bidding a swift goodbye to Nagisa and Rei, Mako and I walked away. Kou had left in the middle of the match, and I hadn't seen her since. She'd been acting differently all through the match, and was constantly on her phone.

"_Did she and Kairi get into a falling out?"_

The two of them hadn't seemed to talk much… at all, really.

"Good job, Haru! I knew you'd win your division."

Mako smiled down at me as I grasped the strap on my backpack.

"_Why did he even ask to go with me? What if she's dead, like she said she'd be?"_

My entire body seemed to stop working as Mako stopped near me.

"If you're really that distracted, why don't we hurry?"

I looked up at him and it was as if he understood me.

We hurried as fast as we could past my house and to Kairi's.

When we finally hit her porch, my fist tightened.

"Mako… I want to warn you. If we see something out of the ordinary, _anything_… I'm sorry."

He glanced down at me and his eyebrows furrowed. "You said you talked her out of it."

"I did…"

I felt myself reach out to touch the doorbell when I realized that the door was already cracked open.

My eyebrows rose when I opened the door completely.

Mako went immediately for the living room as I headed up the stairs.

"Kairi, you home?" He called.

"_Please, don't let us find anything…"_

Even though I had been convinced that I'd saved her life last night… but what if she…

I stepped into the first room I saw and saw nothing out of order.

After calling her name and checking the floor, I ventured to the bathroom.

The sink was still running, so I turned it off.

"Where is she…?" I whispered to myself, feeling my eyebrows knit together.

"Haru!" Mako's voice rose and I hurried down the stairs to see him standing in front of the door.

"What?"

Mako looked back at me with confusion in his eyes. "That car that was in front of her house this morning… did that have anything to do with why she's gone?"

I shook my head as I looked over at the kitchen. The light was still on.

"I don't know."

My mind was reeling. Whoever had been in that car must have been the last person who'd seen her.

"_I wish I knew who the hell it was."_

**Kairi's POV**

It'd been at least an hour since I'd even _attempted_ to move after he fed me my food and let me use the restroom. I could hear Rin downstairs watching TV.

My mind was only clouded with confusion. Why was Rin kidnapping me in the first place and holding me hostage in his house? What did he want from me?

It had already begun to get dark outside, and I shivered, not being able to reach my blankets.

A door downstairs opened and the TV must have turned off, because all I could hear were the bugs outside.

Suddenly, I heard Rin whisper something I'd never heard him say:

"Are you sure?"

Whoever it was downstairs must have said yes, because footsteps began thundering up the stairs.

I braced myself as the door swung open and I could see those eyes. Those bloodthirsty, red eyes that hungered for more, just like that day.

He kicked the door shut behind him as he growled to me.

"Who the hell do you think you are?"

I shook my head as I felt my hands twitch instinctively. "W-what…?"

My voice sounded foreign to me as I listened to it for the first time in what seemed like years.

A swift crack made me flinch as he stood over me, putting his face up to mine so I could see the full extent of his anger.

I felt small gasps of horror escape my mouth as he stared me down, and I watched him crack a smile.

"You know… I've never seen your face so clearly until now."

His voice had completely changed in a way that made me catch my breath in my throat.

It'd become almost… regretful. His eyes wandered away from mine and he glanced behind him.

"_What's going on…?"_

As soon as I felt my own eyes soften, his gaze shot back to me.

"Okay, slut. I'll let you live today. You've been a good girl, huh? Not trying to escape or anything?"

I shook my head.

"N-no! I've been good!"

His eyes narrowed as he smiled at me now. "Good. Because you _know_ what will happen to you if you try anything, right?"

I nodded again as he lifted himself off of me and turned around. As I glanced behind him, I noticed a figure in a black jacket standing there.

"_I-is that another person?!"_

Did someone else know that I was here? Was there someone else in on whatever Rin's plan was?

Whatever or whoever I had seen seemed to jump into the shadows of beyond the doorframe as Rin swiftly turned back on his heel and his hand hit my already-bruised cheek.

I felt a small cry make its way through my tightly-clasped lips as he leapt back like _I_ had hit _him_.

My cheek stung like fire and itched like poison ivy at the same time as Rin seemed to jump between emotions.

"Make sure you don't try anything, you whore." The anger in his voice had shown through whatever emotion he'd been feeling earlier.

The name he had called me caused me to flinch. Of all the names I'd ever been called, this was the one I hated with every fiber of my being.

"W-why are y-you calling me-?"

"If you don't want to be treated like a whore, then don't act like one!" Rin's scorching words were enough to bring tears to my eyes as his hand touched the doorknob and he let himself out, slamming the door behind him.

I felt my pent-up feelings spill over as I bit my lip and let the tears fall down as silently as I could manage.

I honestly couldn't do it. Not anymore.

Was any human being supposed to put up with this kind of treatment?

"_I feel like an animal,"_ My thoughts were so loud, it felt as though I was speaking aloud to myself as I put my head down.

Before the full extent of my pain came about, I heard his voice from all the way upstairs:

"What the hell," he exclaimed loudly. It'd made my heart jump; it sounded as though he was right next to me.

It was quiet for a moment before his loud voice pierced me again. "I'll try and make the _next_ meet, alright? _Damn_!"

I shivered. Who could he be talking to?

"_That's right… our swim meet was today, wasn't it? I wonder how we did… are his teammates angry with him for missing out?"_

Almost as quickly as I'd stopped crying, I heard a voice.

"Who needs 'em?"

I knew this voice. It'd seemed snobbier than I remembered, but I knew.

My eyes lit up as I breathed in my first breath of hope.

Was my best friend here to help me?

**Haru's POV**

It'd gotten dark after searching every inch of the house. We'd found no evidence of a burglary or any kind of struggle.

"_Maybe she's just out somewhere."_

As much as my mind wanted me to believe that she was totally fine wherever she was, my panic always seemed to get the best of me.

The 'what-ifs' plagued my thought process as Mako and I finally exited the house.

"I'm sorry, Haru. I'm sure she'll be at school tomorrow!"

Glancing up, his smiling face put me at ease for a moment before I pushed it away.

His happy-go-lucky, nothing-could-ever-go-wrong attitude sometimes irritated the hell out of me.

"_There is no way she's okay."_

The panic flooded up to my throat, making my heart twitch in so many directions at once, I was sure it'd combust in moments.

"Haru."

I forced myself to a stop as Mako looked at me from what seemed like miles in front of me.

"Haru… we'll find her. She'll be okay."

His soft smile seemed to push me over the edge as I fought myself not to lash out… and surprisingly…

I lost it.

"What happens if we _don't _find her, huh? Are we just gonna _wait_ for her to just… turn up out of fucking nowhere?"

Mako's eyebrows creased as he tilted his head. "Haru, what are you-"

"Hell, while we're here, she could be _dying_ in some ditch right down the damn street, but by the time we're worried enough to _look_ for her, she'll be-"

"Haru… knock it off."

My mouth stopped moving as this cold, unforgiving tone of voice came from my best friend.

Mako stared at me, his eyes softening almost immediately. "She'll be fine. We'll find her, don't worry. Right now, it's only been one day. If it gets out of hand, we'll call the police."

An unintended sigh came from my mouth as I looked away. He was right, as usual.

"_I'll try as hard as I can… I'll even stay up all night if I have to, just watching to see if she makes it home…"_

Mako placed his hands on my shoulders, making me jump a little bit. "Kairi will be fine, Haru. Don't worry. Now," he took his hands off of his shoulders and walked ahead of me. "I have a shit-ton of homework from History, so I gotta get going. See you tomorrow!"

He left me standing in nearly the middle of the street as I made an awkward turn toward my house, trying my best not to even look the way toward Kairi's.

"_She'll be fine… Mako's right. Nothing happened to her. She'll be fine."_

I kept repeating those words to me until I couldn't feel anything but the bed underneath my body as I slowly slipped into a calm, quiet slumber.

**Kairi's POV**

"KAIRI!"

A loud, angry voice woke me up as my eyes shot open and I whispered: "W-what?"

I'd been so fixated on the fact that I'd just heard Kou's voice, even if it was just once. As far as I was concerned, she had only spoken once and I wasn't sure when she'd left, or if she even knew I was here.

Had I been so concentrated that I'd fallen asleep?

Suddenly, water hit my face as I heard Rin yell, "Watch out!"

His deep voice laughed and laughed as more tears filled my eyes. Was this what torture was truly like? Taking every single one of your most personal fears… and literally throwing them in your face?

"So, you're really _that_ terrified of water?"

I shook my head as tears dripped down onto my bare leg. I had been in my tank top and my shorts all day, and this only made it worse.

"P-please… let me change…"

Rin flipped on the light as he leaned against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest.

"I dunno, _Kairi_, why should I let _you_, a slut with more STDs than I have fingers and toes, wear _my_ clothes?"

I felt my face begin to turn ugly as I shook my head, feeling the bloody sensation begin as my fingers itched at the rope he'd bound them with.

"Please! I don't like it, I can't do it!" My voice was rising as my fear reached an all-time high.

He laughed at me as he walked away for what seemed like a full twenty seconds as he came back with a red t-shirt and some boxers.

"I won't have you crying through the night tonight… tomorrow is Friday. I've got more important things to do than babysit you."

Rin untied me and let me up as he tied a string around my left hand and headed out of the door.

"You remember the rule, right? If I tug on this string, you tug back so I can make sure you're not running out on me. If you _don't_ tug back on it, I'll break the damn door and choke you until your eyes roll back. Understand?"

My lips seemed sealed together as I nodded.

"_How does he get away with saying things like that to me?"_

The answer was simple; it was because I _let_ him.

Rin stepped out of the room and closed the door to give me my privacy as I began stripping.

I felt ridiculously indecent as I wiggled my way into Rin's huge shirt. _"I-it's too big…"_

It was so big, in fact, that when I got my head through, the collar slipped down to one side and exposed my left shoulder.

His boxers were awkward to wear as well, but they fit onto me as Rin tugged on the string and I tugged right back.

"O-okay… I'm ready now…"

Rin walked back in and grabbed my soaking wet clothes almost instantaneously.

"I'll put these in the dryer for you so you don't have to keep wearing my clothes."

I felt a shiver coming on at the breeze the open door let in. I was still soaking wet, but it was _nothing_ compared to what I'd experienced in the wet clothes.

I could still see how wet the bed was, but I figured it'd dry overnight as I put the thought of sleeping in it out of my mind.

Obediently, I headed back over to the bed and tucked myself in as Rin reached for the rope and bound my hands behind my back and to the head of the bed again.

"There. I suppose I can try to trust you a little more. The longer you cooperate, the more freedom you'll get, Kairi."

The look in his eyes confused me as I whispered: "When are you going to let me go?"

My eyes felt dull and droopy as I searched for an expression on Rin's face. He sighed and murmured to me something unexpected yet expected.

"I don't know."

The door closed slowly and softly as I felt myself drift into an instant sleep.

**Haru's POV**

I shot up in the middle of the night as the nightmare left my skull.

"_What a restless night…"_

Lying back down out of exhaustion, my conscience drifted my train of thought back over to Kairi.

My eyes began drooping. _"I'll find out everything I can tomorrow and we'll find her."_

As I unconsciously began to piece together what we'd found so far, which was the red convertible with the odd license plate, I-

Wait… _red_ convertible? That damn license plate said…

I shot back up as I began mumbling to myself in a rushed manner. Everything made sense now.

I only knew _one _person with a _red_ convertible… and only _one_ person could live up to that damn license plate.

Pl-Shrk.

_Pool shark._

* * *

Okay, I'm back from vacation for almost eh… two weeks, I think.

I'm sorry this took forever to update… my boyfriend has gone missing and we have no idea where he is. The last time we talked we got into a fight and well… here we are. He said he was going on a trip to Miami with family for four days… it's been almost three weeks since I've gotten anything from him. No calls, no message… nothing.

I've been distracted and I'm sorry for that. I didn't post because of the stress and anxiety that I was going through, and that's why this chap. is so short.

I'd rather put out a short 80/100 effort chapter than a long ass 20/100 effort chapter… so I'm sorry for the wait. I am slowly recovering from what could possibly end up being a potential loss.

I'll hurry up on the chapters soon, I promise.

Reviews are very much welcome at this time.


	11. Shark vs Dolphin!

Flashback:

I shot back up as I began mumbling to myself in a rushed manner. Everything made sense now.

I only knew _one _person with a _red_ convertible… and only _one_ person could live up to that damn license plate.

Pl-Shrk.

_Pool shark._

Chapter 11: Shark vs. Dolphin!

**Haru's POV**

I woke up at 5am in the morning, my teeth clenched in anger.

"_I should have suspected him from the fucking beginning; what the hell could he have done to her?"_

Considering what he'd already done to her with his damn shark teeth, I couldn't even begin to imagine what he'd done to her now.

I jumped into the shower as the cold water caressed my body and I put my head down, washing my hair.

My eyes closed as I thought about Kairi. What had she endured while I calmly went to school and did normal things?

I sighed as I leaned against the cold tile of my shower as I lost myself in my thoughts of her.

"_He's got to go to school today; it's Friday. I'm tired of just waiting."_

**Kairi's POV**

All morning, my thoughts had been of only my friends. Had they missed me?

The room was still dark as the sun began to come over the horizon, which gave off the most acute ray of light into the space.

I stared at the beautifully colored wall as I heard Rin turn on his shower.

"_Does anyone even know… that I'm gone…? Does anyone even notice?"_

I struggled to get into a comfortable position as my thoughts wandered. Would Rin_ ever_ let me go? Did he even care about my feelings?

"_Of course not…"_

Then, there was Kou. I mean, what the hell? I _swore_ I had heard her voice last night, talking to Rin.

The door creaked open, interrupting my thought process. Rin seemed to hide behind the door as his red eyes pierced my soul.

I couldn't even open my mouth. I was terrified of him.

"Hey, slut! Good morning!" His cheery, double-edged comment was like a slap in the face as my heart jumped inside my chest.

"What; cat gotcha tongue?" Rin laughed a hearty laugh when he stepped into the room. "I'm all ready for school and you look like a wreck. Ready for a shower so you can get into your _own_ clothes?"

I nodded cautiously. _"Could it be a trick…?"_

Rin untied me as his warm, minty breath tickled the back of my neck. "As long as you don't give me any fucking reasons to hit you, I won't."

I felt him finally stand up straight as I stared at the blue string that was now laced around my right hand.

After forcing myself into a sitting position, Rin tugged on the string, like it was a leash.

"C'mon, I don't have all day to babysit you."

I made myself stand and as I stumbled around for a moment, Rin seemed to snort as he pulled me toward the bathroom.

"You know the rules, right?"

I nodded, biting my tongue to keep myself from crying. I was tired of this.

"_Why does he keep doing these things to me? Treating me like I'm nothing?"_

I edged my way into the bathroom and closed the door as I stripped and tiptoed into the shower, hesitantly turning it on.

The water hit my body, giving me a cold and jolting awakening as I gasped. The string began tugging at me, and when I tugged back, Rin called to me:

"What the hell are you doing in there?"

"N-nothing… the water's c-cold!" The words seemed to barely make their way out of my mouth before Rin growled at me from beyond the door.

As I regained my composure and focused on not blacking out and seeing red from thinking about how _his_ death was _my_ fault, my mind began to wander.

"_I wonder how school has been since… since I've been gone. Do-do any of them miss me?"_

Images of Nagisa, Rei, and Mako flashed through my mind. My eyebrows creased; Mako was probably worried sick.

A fourth finally surfaced from the depths of my thoughts as his deep blue eyes were just enough to make me shiver.

Did Haru miss me, too?

"Hurry the hell up, bitch!" Rin's loud, obnoxious voice filled my ears as I finished up dreaming to myself about my newfound friends.

Only one had been missing, I realized as I hopped out of the shower, grabbing a spare towel to dry off with.

Why hadn't I included Kou?

The string began jerking my hand awkwardly again, making me pull back on it as I dried off as quickly as possible and slid into my own attire.

I opened the door and Rin stared down at me, rolling his eyes. "And I thought you'd _never_ get out. Damn."

He led me down the hallway as fast as he could and as I positioned myself on the bed, I felt his breath tickle the back of my neck again.

My head jerked sideways away from Rin as his hand landed on my cheek. I turned back as soon as he started his sentence:

"Slut, don't think-"

But he cut himself off. In fact, I was cut off as well.

His face was so close to mine it was almost like we were…

Kissing.

I felt my eyes open wide as I fought my arms away from the rope to push him off, as the anger in his eyes was more than evident.

My strength to keep resisting began to trickle down until there was nothing left in me as Rin slowly closed his eyes and his hand wandered up to my face, caressing my cheek which he had just slapped.

"_No… this is wrong,"_ My mind protested as I let myself be sucked into whatever the hell Rin was doing. _"You shouldn't be kissing him… the one who treats you so terribly…"_

Almost as soon as it'd happened, Rin pulled away and began tying my ropes even tighter than usual.

"H-hey!" I squeaked as I felt the pain engulf me for a moment.

Rin refused to answer me as he stood up and walked to the door, but before he walked through it, he stopped mid-step and turned his head to me.

Those eyes that I had been so afraid of… it was almost as if they were gone. His red eyes had become laced with different emotions I'd never seen him have, accompanied by hidden meanings behind them.

I held his gaze for only a moment before he closed the door softly and locked it, his footsteps lost and confused-sounding.

As soon as I heard the final door close, I let myself breathe. Tears came to my eyes again.

What had I just done?

What had he just done?

Was I really going to become one of those girls who… who fell for someone as mentally and physically abusive as Rin was?

My thoughts swarmed me as my breathing became panicked. Cries began escaping my mouth uncontrollably as the sweat freely beaded on my forehead.

Those eyes… what were they saying?

Were they saying I'd be stuck with him forever?

**Rin's POV**

As I grabbed my backpack and threw it into my convertible, I felt my legs almost buckle underneath me.

"_Did I seriously just… kiss that slut?"_

I mean, damn, we almost made out right then and there, if I hadn't snapped out of it.

After recklessly pulling out of the driveway and almost hitting a randomly and awkwardly placed mailbox like I did every morning, I felt my fingers grip the wheel tightly.

I could still feel how tingly my lips had gotten after that incident.

"_This must be how she gets every guy wrapped around her fingers…"_

My excuses began piling up in front of me as I felt my foot step on the gas, almost rear-ending a green bug, the female driver raising her fist at me.

After that half-assed drive to school, even standing up from my damn car was tough as hell.

I almost dropped my books in the halls as I made my way to my locker without having Sei-idiot spot me.

My entire body had begun to slip down to lockdown as my legs started knocking together and my mind went fuzzy.

"Hey!" A voice said to me, but I pretended to ignore it.

"Hey! Rin!" The voice had gotten just a little bit louder. I turned to see a couple of Sei-idiot's goons running toward me.

"We don't have practice today, since its Friday. Why the hell did you miss the meet?" One of them asked as I forced my legs to stop trembling.

My eyebrows creased together. I couldn't tell them I was keeping that slut locked up in my house and I had to go home and feed her…

"I just have some stuff going on. I'll try not to miss the next one, alright?"

Auto drive had taken over once I saw all of them off and turned back to my locker. I couldn't stop thinking about it.

The way it felt.

How the moment had captured me.

"_There's no way in hell you'd fall for a slut like that… right?" _I asked myself, and I felt a slow yet sure agreement come through.

I still couldn't deny how it'd felt like I was floating as I walked to class, biting my lip.

**Haru's POV**

It was as if a storm cloud hung over me all day. Throughout every class, my mood seemed to worsen.

Even when it'd been study period and a random girl had asked me for a pencil, I threw it at her and I hadn't even bothered to apologize.

I mean, seriously. I was becoming some sort of Grinch-type human being for the day, and I knew there was only one way to cure that.

Since it was Friday, there wasn't any schedualed practice, which was absolutely perfect for me, my plan, and I.

Today was the day I'd confront him.

The very second the final bell rang, I sprinted as fast as I could to the outside of Samezuka Academy.

I'd already managed to slash his tires during free period, there'd be no way he could avoid walking home, right?

"_This is kinda unethical, slashing his beloved tires, but that's the only way I'll be able to intercept him."_

As I lay in wait, I watched my red-headed ex-best-friend walk up to his car and begin a stream of curse words as he whipped out a cell phone and did what I thought he'd do; call a tow truck of some sort.

A smirk played on my face as my eyes narrowed. The bush I'd been hiding in was very small, but it worked.

Rin slowly put his phone away and began on his way toward where his house must be. I can't say I know where his house is, because after he'd moved out of Kou and his parent's home, he'd been off the radar.

I edged my way out of the damn bush and followed him as closely as I could manage without being noticed or suspected.

The second he got out of sight, I'd sprint to keep up with him… before he paused right in front of a shady-looking street.

"_C'mon, you bastard. What the hell are you gonna do next?"_

I originally planned to follow him to his home, but if we went through an alleyway here, that's where I'll get him.

Rin was on the move again, but I had to almost jog to keep up with him. It was almost as if he was in a hurry.

Suddenly, he whipped around and I dove behind a parked car.

"_Dammit, did he see me?"_

My thoughts were frantic as I crouched on the ground to get a better look at him. His eyes were darting back and forth curiously, almost as if he suspected someone to be following him, and he was soon on his way, running now.

I scrambled up and began sprinting toward him as he turned a narrow corner.

"_Gotcha."_

My anger seemed to propel me forward as I came around the corner and there he was.

Rin was staring straight at me, confusion in his face. "H-Haru?"

The surprise in his voice wasn't enough to calm the sudden burst of fury that erupted from my ego as I lashed out at his face.

"What the hell, Rin?!"

My first punch hit him square in the cheek, but my next was slightly off and hit him in the chin.

"What'd you do to her?!"

Rin's eyes widened as he frowned. "What are you…?"

I hit him again as I pinned him to the dirt ground. "I know it was you. What the hell did you do to Kairi?"

Suddenly, I felt an immense burst of pain engulf my left arm as Rin was now on my back, hitting me on the back of my head.

Every punch was like blacking out once, but I forced myself to maintain consciousness.

"You dumb fuck; I wouldn't do anything to that slut!"

"_Slut… Rin shouldn't even know her that well… yet he has the audacity to call her a slut in front of me."_

His fatal mistake made me smirk and giggle for no more than a moment as I lifted myself up and Rin tumbled off of me.

"You were the one who made her cry when that fucking letter was written?"

Rin's red eyes only dug into me as he stood up and his arms flashed toward me. "If she wasn't such a whore, there'd _be_ no letter!"

Anger was the only thing besides my will to find Kairi that was fueling me now. I was running on fumes.

My fist slammed into Rin's cheek and I felt the satisfaction of him hitting the ground and making a painful sound.

"_Kairi… why would this guy do something to you?"_

As my mind wandered for no more than a second, Rin threw another punch at me and kept them coming, pummeling me down to the ground.

"Who needs her, anyway?"

"_I do!" _My heart seemed to go out of control as I felt adrenaline rush through me. As the red haze seemed to fade, I realized I had Rin in my control now.

I'd locked him in a headlock and his left eye seemed to begin becoming a black eye.

"What the fucking hell did you do to her?"

That voice can't be mine, I mused. I'd never heard myself sound so pissed off… so angry.

Rin shook his head. "I didn't do shit! What the hell are-"

I felt my knuckles begin hitting his skull with as much fucking force as I could.

"Don't. Fucking. Lie. To. Me."

"Haru, stop! I'll fucking tell you if you stop!" Rin nearly screamed to me his plea before I could bash his brains out of his ears.

Immediately, I lightened up on the beating and I frowned, my eyebrows creasing.

"What'd you do to Kairi?" I repeated, angrily pacing back and forth now.

Rin looked up at me from the ground, and I could tell he couldn't fight me anymore. His current state wouldn't let him.

"Gone."

I stopped mid-step as my eyes were drawn to his. "What?"

Had I heard him right?

Rin was shaking his head as he struggled to stand up. "I… I killed her. She's gone. I drowned her and threw her in the ocean so no one would find her."

"_What?"_

It took a full minute to wrap the though around my brain. When I finally managed it, I felt myself fall to my knees in agony.

Every fiber of my being wanted Rin dead. I wanted his blood splattered all over the streets and all over the sidewalks.

I wanted Kairi back.

Holding my stomach, I felt the pain build up around my naval. _"Is this what it feels like… to be stabbed to death?"_

I knew I couldn't tell the others… I knew I'd never be able to fucking go anywhere near the ocean again.

Damn it, would I even be able to swim?

Every thought, every memory of Kairi consumed me. Every second she'd spent looking at me had flashed through my eyes.

Rin seemed to stand up and make his way out of the dark corner-like area we'd scuffled in. I had only faintly noticed, though.

My eyes were beginning to glaze over as fatigue swamped over me, consuming all of the hatred, loss, and heartbroken emotions from my mind.

As I felt my body fall limp on the dirt floor, I allowed my eyes to close.

I hadn't even known this girl for a week, but when I lost her… my entire life was in shambles.

* * *

Kinda an awkward place to end it, my bad .-.

However, school has started so I wouldn't expect many updates, yo. Also, this on-going grief is still going on, and I have given up all hope. The only reason I haven't killed myself yet is because I still have dreams that I hope I can at least come close to. And that'd be the ultimate cliffhanger, so I wouldn't do that to you guys.

Also, uh… yeah. That's it. Sorry it's short again, I really must sleep.

Rate/Review.


	12. My Ultimate Revenge

_Flashback:_

_My eyes were beginning to glaze over as fatigue swamped over me, consuming all of the hatred, loss, and heartbroken emotions from my mind._

_As I felt my body fall limp on the dirt floor, I allowed my eyes to close._

_I hadn't even known this girl for a week, but when I lost her… my entire life was in shambles._

Chapter 12: My Ultimate Revenge

**Haru's POV**

I must have been sitting there, blank-minded, for at _least_ a full hour, as the sun had begun to nearly set on this summery day.

"_Kairi… she's gone…"_

One half of me couldn't even believe it. What the hell would motivate that bastard to kill someone as kind as Kairi? Why did he even prey on her in the first place?

The other half of me was stunned. I had never really had anyone close to me die and affect me so much that I couldn't keep myself under control. I was behaving as if I'd _watched_ her die.

"_What the hell am I going to tell them?"_

Nagisa and Rei would be devastated, I'm sure, but I had no idea how Mako would take it. I'm not sure how _I'm_ even handling it right now.

Not to mention Kou. What would she think? Would she hate me that I hadn't been able to stop her brother from killing her best friend? What could she do to retaliate?

My entire mouth went dry as I fought to breathe in without cutting myself short as I stood up. The moment my knees locked, I fell to the side, hitting the wall.

My shoulder began to throb uncontrollably, but surprisingly, it didn't hurt me. I'd heard of being hurt so much emotionally that you couldn't hurt anymore physically, but I had no idea that was anywhere near true.

I closed my eyes suddenly, as if all I wanted to do was sleep. _"What did she do? Why did she die?"_

I felt water, my beloved water, taking the form of tears in my eyes. Within moments, they began to stream down my face and cascade onto my shirt.

"_Water…"_

Water was no longer my one and only true love. Hell, water had become my enemy. How _dare_ it take Kairi away from me?

How could it be capable of doing something so fucking monstrous and evil… yet it _acts_ like it's so damn peaceful?

How was I _ever_ able to trust such a terrible beast?

**Kairi's POV**

I literally couldn't sleep. It must have been at _least_ around dinner time, and Rin had come home, I was sure of that, but he hadn't brought me food today.

I had tried to drown the sound of my stomach growling out by falling unconscious in sleep, but it wouldn't happen.

"_Can I… can I get out of here? If I promise Rin that I don't tell anyone anything… then maybe he'll let me go."_

The thought lingered in my mind until a sound made me jump, squeaking in fright at first. The door had cracked open as Rin made his way into the room.

He closed the door almost silently as he turned to me. His red eyes had become sharp again… but something was off. Something _must_ have been off. I could see regret, blatantly making its way into Rin's expression.

"R-Rin?"

I blinked at him as he got closer, refusing to answer me. It was almost like he couldn't hear me.

"Kairi, this is your fault." I heard him finally mutter with a slight growl in his voice.

"W-what?" Surprise entered my voice as I tilted my head slightly, but I was rewarded with a blow to the head, causing my head to hit the wall.

The look in Rin's eyes didn't change as he continued to hit me, one after another, until I was convinced I'd never see the light of day again.

Only after he finally stopped and my vision came back could I see he was panting hard and injured to the head and a little on his arm.

"W-what… happened…?"

Rin refused to answer me as he snarled at me. "I should _kill_ you like I said I did!"

My purple eyes widened as I felt his sharp eyes bare into mine.

There was no way he was _serious, _right? Rin wouldn't kill me… he _can't_ kill me…

Fear made me begin to struggle as he got closer to me and began untying me.

What would happen if he actually _managed_ to kill me? What would the team think? What would… Haru think?

The thought of that kind of news reaching them made my skin go cold.

"R-Rin… what are you doing…?"

He didn't answer me for a moment and when he did he finally untied me and shoved me off of the bed.

My head hit the ground and I felt warm liquid begin to seep onto my face as Rin kicked me in the thigh and grabbed me by my hair.

"Stop! R-Rin, s-stop it!" I cried, feeling my scalp become the epitome of fiery hell as he yanked mercilessly on my long, black hair, slowly pulling me toward the door.

"No, stop! I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" My voice came out as loud, clear sobs of agony as my physical pain got worse with every jerk he could to keep me in line.

Tears and blood mixed together continued to roll down my face as Rin began to drag me out of the guest bedroom.

"_Where's he taking me… what's going to happen? What did I do wrong?"_

Questions swirled in my mind as my survival mode kicked in; I began kicking Rin, trying to trip him. When that didn't work, I screamed at the top of my lungs, which earned me a swift kick to my head. I knew he hated it when I made any kind of noise that could possibly attract attention.

"Shut the hell up, will you? Stop fucking screaming!" Rin's commanding voice made me scream louder as he pulled even harder on my hair.

That last scream had him pissed off, I think. Rin dropped my hair as my head hit the floor.

Within only a second, his hands flew toward my neck as he squeezed as hard as he could and shouted at me to shut up once more.

All oxygen seemed to disappear from my lungs and brain as I felt myself begin to get dizzy. I attempted to kick him away, but I _knew_ I wasn't anywhere _near_ strong enough for that.

I tried talking to him but my mouth couldn't even form words as my brain suddenly scrambled. I was no longer capable of speaking.

The hold on my throat and the anger and killing intent in Rin's eyes caused me to stop struggling almost instantaneously. It had paralyzed me… I had no idea he wanted me dead so intensely.

Rin's mouth moved angrily as his sharp teeth glistened in the fading light of the evening, but I couldn't hear him. Only his lips moved fast and in a frenzy of what must have been curse words and how I was such a whore who needed to die.

In moments, my vision timed out and my pain was gone. I could, finally, feel no more.

**Rin's POV**

"Finally," I sighed as Kairi fell limp in my hands.

I picked her up and hurried down the steps with her. Blood soaked my shirt as her head hit my chest, but I shrugged it off. It's not like I liked this hoodie; I'd just burn it later anyway.

If anyone saw _any _of this shit that I'm doing, I'm screwed and I know it. I'm not supposed to… _kill _her.

Trying not to draw attention to myself, I casually sauntered out to my car and placed the little whore in the backseat and proceeded to reach into my pocket as my phone buzzed with a message.

I opened it and the message stared me straight into the depths of my soul:

_Hey! How's it going with her? Can I come over?_

My eyes rolled when I saw who it was from. I didn't even bother to text back as I threw the phone beside me into the passenger seat and started up the damn car.

"_Hell,"_ I thought to myself as I pulled out of the driveway, narrowly hitting that fucking mailbox yet _again_. _"I shouldn't have lied to Haru… so I have to do this… if I don't, I'm screwed; done for… and it's not even my fault. Might as well kill her while my morale is up…"_

I tore up the roads as I sped through stop signs and a few red lights, thankfully missing all pedestrians and other motorists, as I headed toward the beach.

Glancing into my rear-view mirror, I could see Kairi's limp body thrashing around in the backseat with every bump that we hit.

"_If she wasn't such a slut, I wouldn't have to kill her."_

I finally pulled up to the beach, triple checking there weren't any joggers or beach-goers around.

After jumping out of my car, I picked up Kairi and hurried toward the beach. My adrenaline was racing through my veins now; I'd never had a feeling like this. Is this what people felt before they killed someone?

I checked again to make sure there was no one around as we neared the water. Kairi's already-bloodied head made me nervous as hell.

Throwing my phone into the sand where it was safe, I proceeded toward the calm waves. The moment the water splashed me, Kairi jerked in my arms.

"How do you like it now, bitch?" I heard myself sneer at her with so much malice… I didn't even think it was my own voice.

I struggled to get deeper out to sea as the sea creatures seemed to swirl around my feet; crabs with their damn claws and those wretched jellyfish with their jelly-ness.

Waist-deep into the uncharted ocean, I splashed water on Kairi's face intentionally and I watched her muscles spasm in what must have been pain. Salt and open wounds don't really go together, do they?

"Slut, I can't believe you won't witness your own death." I growled, feeling my grip on her tighten with anger. It may have been much more enjoyable if I could at least see her expression when she died.

But… I was killing a human being. I would become a murderer after this, no matter if I'm caught or not.

I could be thrown in jail… or executed. I don't know why everything I've been expected to do… all of it… why should _I_ be punished for something I didn't have a choice in doing? I mean, sure, I had a choice, but it wasn't a conscious choice, if you know what I mean.

"_Okay… get a grip, Rin."_ I shook my head uncontrollably as my anger seemed to intensify.

This bitch was the entire reason my sister felt like shit every day, anyway. She deserved to die. That's the way I saw it.

In killing her, I'm doing my sister a favor. She'll be happier if Kairi isn't in her life anymore.

Not to mention that bastard of a shit-swimmer, Haru. Best friends my ass. Fuck him. How did he know Kairi, anyway? Were they friends?

I hadn't had time to think about it until just now. He did seem worried about her… and when I blurted out that I 'killed' her, I could see the mental pain he experienced through his eyes.

I'd ignored it at the time, but it was blatant that he'd thought of this whore, Kairi, as someone more than an acquaintance. He cared about her.

My sudden anger turned into jealousy and confusion in a split second as I dunked Kairi under, holding her down.

Who the hell did she think she was, anyway? Haru needed to feel the same pain I felt when I lost to him. This, losing someone he cared about, was the equivalent to losing to him at the sport that I loved.

This was my ultimate revenge.

Bubbles seemed to pop up occasionally from the murky, sandy water as I struggled to hold Kairi down; the waves were getting more intense. High tide at this time of day.

Suddenly, Kairi seemed to spring back to life as I lost control of her for a moment and she struggled to stand.

"Fucking drown already!" I snarled as I pounced on her, bowling both of us over as a wave crashed over our heads.

I stood up as the wave passed and swung my head around frantically. Where was that bitch now?

I spotted her nearby, struggling to get into the sitting position. Taking this as my chance, I hurried as fast as I could to her. My fury began to mount to its highest point since I can remember… maybe possible ever.

There was no way in _hell_ she'd live through this.

**Kairi's POV**

My head injury burned like a bitch and it hurt even worse when I realized I was in the water. The ocean, to add insult to injury.

I struggled to control my natural fear of water as I tried to stand, but Rin was already too close.

If I tried to run away now, there'd be no way out. As he neared me, I grabbed the closest thing to me; a shell.

With no regrets, I flung it at him, causing a bright red line to show atop of his well-built abs and blood began streaming from it.

Rin growled in rage as he flew at me once more. My head went under when he hit me, but I shot straight up to hear distant, faint yelling.

A man was approaching at a fast rate as Rin lit into me. He was saying things, but I could only hear fragments of his sentences over the pain and confusion in his voice.

"Die! Why… I didn't… my fault… the plan…"

None of what he was saying made sense as a man restrained him with ease, as his movements had become stale and inaccurate.

"Can you stand?" A second man had appeared out of nowhere next to me.

I shook my head unconsciously as the man put his arms around me to help me to my feet as he escorted me out of the water.

More men seemed to swarm past me and toward Rin and the man who was holding him back from causing any more damage to me.

Glancing backward, I could see the men struggling to retain him from hitting any of them in what seemed to me was a fit of rage.

"_How could he… try to kill me? Did I do something that made him WANT to kill me?"_

My biggest concern was… was it a round-about way of Rin's actions being _my_ fault?

"We're taking you to the hospital," the man who was accompanying me to make sure I didn't fall told me.

My eyes only seemed to droop closed as I nodded. My normal post-traumatic stress was getting to me again, anyway. The feeling of being completely submerged in water… it was as if… as if I had been trapped.

Water was trying to kill me. Rin could have led me to my death, but it would have ultimately been water that would have sealed my fate.

**Haru's POV**

I woke up in the morning in my own bed, feeling so many emotions at once, I thought I was going to explode.

"_Kairi… she died… I can't believe it…"_

The fact that Kairi had been killed didn't scare me as much as _how_ she'd been killed.

Rin had drowned her in the ocean, the epitome of all her fears. To her, the water was hell itself. I just can't believe that I hadn't realized she was right.

I struggled to get into the sitting position on my bed, and when I did I felt myself tense up. My hatred for the one thing in life that I'd truly loved had come to a boiling point.

I'd never spend quality time with water again. It'd killed Kairi, and I didn't trust it.

Without thinking much about it, I slowly got up and ventured down to the kitchen, where my phone was on the table.

As soon as I'd looked at it, a message popped up from Mako, as usual:

_Hey, Haru! Ready for weekend swim practice? I bet you are; you're probably in your bathtub right now, so I'm gonna come pick you up like usual so the rest of the team won't be waiting on us._

I had almost forgotten it was Saturday. Not to mention that we'd set up weekend swim practices.

"_Like I'm going anyway."_

I tossed my phone to the couch in the living room as I suddenly slouched onto the counter, putting my head down.

"_This isn't right… I shouldn't be grieving this hard."_

I couldn't even stand up _straight_ without thinking about Kairi and collapsing into a bent over position.

At least I hadn't cried like I did last night. I'd cried as soon as I walked into my house that evening. I closed the door and burst out into tears.

Kairi hadn't done anything to deserve to die. I know she didn't. Kairi would _never_ put her _own_ life in danger like that by doing dumb things to make people think she should die.

A knock penetrated the quiet sound circulation that had been inside of the house.

I didn't have the energy to go answer it, and Mako walked straight in, knowing that I was home.

"Haru, wh-Haru!" Mako's surprised voice made me jump as he hurried to my side.

"Haru, are you hurt? Did something happen?"

"_Do I look unwell?"_ I asked myself, wondering what had given me away.

"No, Mako, I'm fine." My quiet sigh seemed to push him off of the edge. "Haru, what is wrong? I'm serious, what's wrong with you?"

I had always known he could see through common deceptions with his kind eyes. However, as much as everyone else I knew was entitled to know about Kairi's death, I shook my head.

"Nothing's wrong." My acting finally seemed to pay off as Mako dropped it and told me to grab my swimming gear, which was already packed up.

I grabbed it as the two of us jogged through the quiet, just-waking streets of Japan.

The flower petals sometimes blew by in the soft, summer-nearly-fall breeze as I inhaled the sweet-smelling air.

The only thing that'd make this morning better was if… Kairi was here with us. With me.

I tried to glance back and look at her house, but we'd just then turned the corner and the house was out of sight.

My eyes began to fill with tears the more I thought about losing Kairi to the point where Mako asked me if I needed a towel to wipe my face. When we finally stopped jogging and we made it to the pool, Mako stopped me.

"Haru, I don't know if something's wrong or not, but whatever you do, please _try_ to act normal around the others. They don't know how to handle it, whatever it is."

Mako knew how I felt. He knew how severe my pain was, but he didn't know why. However, I plastered on my stoic-looking face and Nagisa seemed to run up to me.

"Haru-chan! Why aren't you changed? We have to play a game of catch me if you can."

Everyone, even Gou, began to laugh/giggle about what was just said, but I shook my head and shrugged.

"I can't." I muttered.

"Can't what?" Rei adjusted his glasses before he put them down and reached for his goggles.

"I can't go in. I hate water."

* * *

Haru's confession. I'd ship it. (dat hatred).

Anyway, I'm really upset as usual, but I won't get into anything personal. Don't worry about it, though.

Sorry for the long wait; I've been dealing with my own things, school, and stuff like that.

Not really honestly much to say, just that reviews keep me hammering out chapters as I can, so I expect my readers to give me a tip on how I can make these better.

Other than that, I'd say I wouldn't expect a fuckton of updates, but I'll try as hard as I can.


	13. Misunderstandings

_Flashback:_

"_Haru-chan! Why aren't you changed? We have to play a game of catch me if you can."_

_Everyone, even Gou, began to laugh/giggle about what was just said, but I shook my head and shrugged._

"_I can't." I muttered._

"_Can't what?" Rei took off his glasses and put on his goggles._

"_I can't go in. I hate water."_

Chapter 13: Misunderstandings

**Haru's POV**

I'd done it. It'd finally told everyone that I couldn't stand the damned water anymore. Not after what it'd done to Kairi.

Nagisa was the first person to question me about what I'd said. "Haru-channn! You _love_ water! You sure you're you?"

He slowly began poking me in my arms and slowly progressed to my chest, then up to my face.

I backed away as Mako warned him off. "Nagisa, I'm sure Haru's just having a bad day. It'll be okay."

My eyes wandered away as Nagisa began complaining to Mako, and they landed on Kou. I thought I could see the faintest smile on her face, but it could have been my cruel imagination.

"Where's Kairi?" Rei asked, looking around behind me.

The name only brought tears to my eyes as I fought them back angrily. I'd never be able to forgive myself if I cried in front of these people, especially if it was about Kairi.

"She's on vacation," Mako quickly filled in for me. "She'll be back soon."

"_She's not coming back,"_ my mind told me. _"Kairi is gone because your beloved water killed her."_

The emotional pain ate at me as the hair on the back of my neck stood up. I couldn't even find her _body_ and grieve over her because she drowned.

Kairi, as far as I was concerned, was gone.

I felt myself sway on my feet unconsciously. Why had I let Rin get away with it, without killing him back?

The thought swirled in my mind, but it seemed to disappear along with everything else as I slowly sank to the ground.

I didn't feel much else as I closed my eyes. I, honestly, hoped I'd die. Right now, at this very second, I'd rather die than put up with thinking about how I lost Kairi, and I'd done nothing about it.

**Kairi's POV**

A bright light shone through a window and heated up my face, forcing me to get up.

My entire being seemed to be moving in slow motion, but I realized that I was in a white room, filled with nothing but cabinets and IVs at the ready.

"_The hospital? What happened? Why'd they have to bring me here?"_

It seemed like a haze of events that'd brought me here, and then I remembered the feeling of water surrounding me… drowning me.

Rin.

He'd tried to kill me.

The thought of it made my heart jump. I could have died last night.

"_Where is he now…?"_

None of my questions seemed to be getting answered as I looked around the room, curiously. I spotted a mirror and looked into it, only to see a half-dead person staring straight back at me.

My head had been bandaged up and I looked as though I'd been through hell and back.

"_You poor thing…"_ I heard my brain tell my body.

Suddenly, a creak of a door made my head slam the opposite direction, making a throbbing feeling begin to occur.

"Hello, Miss Kairi Nakanishi. Seems like you almost drowned."

My eyebrows meshed together. I knew _that_ much, but-

"That man tried to save you, didn't he? The red-haired one."

My eyes opened wide as my hand made its way toward my mouth. _"Rin hadn't… he tried to kill me!"_

The doctor's eyes never wavered from mine as they became sharp with confusion.

"Kairi? Are you okay?"

I shook my head in disbelief as my hands began shaking.

Rin had tried to kill me yesterday, and that much I _knew_. He never tried to _save_ me from anything.

The doctor seemed to become even more suspicious as he ran his hands through his brown hair.

"I'm sure it's too early to talk about it. I only came to check up on you to see if you needed anything."

I shook my head, feeling tears begin to form in my eyes.

He smiled at me briefly, a sad smile, and quietly opened and closed the door.

I let loose as soon as the door closed.

Tears streamed down my face and my hands began shaking. I wanted to just kill myself right then.

I spent the next few hours crying to myself. It even _felt_ like hours after I finished.

An idea suddenly hit me; what if I could get out of this, right here and now? What if I could finally end my own personal pain and suffering?

All of the heart-wrenching stings that I'd had to deal with ever since I'd arrived at the hospital… they'd all be gone.

"_But… how?"_

I looked around, frantically. There had to be _something_ that I could use.

A needle shone at me from the counter.

Instinct kicked in as I slid out of the bed. Even though it ached to hell, I forced myself up.

"_It'll be over soon. The moment you pick that up, it's over…"_

**Haru's POV**

The more I watched my friends swimming in hell, the more I hated it.

If I could have left, I'd have done it.

Mako glanced at me and his green eyes filled with sympathy as he grabbed his towel and began drying his hair as he sat next to me on the concrete.

"Haru, is it… is it about Kairi?"

I felt my eyes shoot to him in immediate anger, but they soon softened to sadness as our eyes connected.

"_What the hell is wrong with me?"_

All I wanted to do was cry, and the more I concentrated on _not_ crying, my palms became all sweaty.

Mako's eyes narrowed as he grabbed me by the arm, forcing me up.

"We're going to talk about it."

My mind froze in horror as my jaw slacked for only a moment as Mako began pushing me away from the pool.

"We'll see you guys later; Haru and I need to talk!" He made our exit known as we hurried out of the building and into the street, where his eyes slid to me.

"Haru, as your best friend, I can't stand to see you so upset without you telling me what's wrong."

"_If you knew, you'd never forgive me. I can't even forgive myself…"_

I shut my eyes tightly for a brief moment. Mako didn't understand. I couldn't tell him. How would he handle it? Would he burst into tears like I did, or would he threaten to murder me for letting it happen?

As the shot back open, Mako barely saved me from running into a small blonde girl with a Popsicle in her hand as she ran by me, chasing after another child.

"Haru, it's okay. I won't judge you. If it's about-"

"Mako," my irritated voice escaped through my gritted teeth as my hold tightened on my swim gear. "You don't understand. I can't tell you."

My friend became suspicious. I could see it in his eyes, how they narrowed in confusion with a hint of frustration beneath it.

"Kairi's okay, Haru."

Mako's gentle whisper was almost enough for me to believe it. From how sure he sounded, I almost believed that he was right. I knew, first hand, that that fantasy was a lie.

"Dammit, you don't understand!"

My voice roared; not quite a yell, but it was loud enough that a passerby or two stared at us, worriedly.

Just _thinking_ about Kairi was really annoying me. The thought of her soft, purple eyes made my knees begin to buckle as Mako dove for me, but I caught myself in time.

"I think you need to sit down." Mako ventured as he began to lead me toward a bench, but I pulled away.

"_I have to go home."_

The sudden _need_ for me to go home rose within me as I fought Mako away from me as he attempted to make me sit in the bench again.

"H-Haru? Just sit down for one second so you're not dizzy!"

I shook my head as I took off down the street and took the normal left turn at the intersection.

"_I can't tell Mako. If I do, he'll be ruined. He won't know what to do; he'll feel just like I do right now. I can't let that happen."_

My thoughts swirled in my head and played on my lips as I could hear Mako's footsteps behind me.

"Haru, what the hell?! Why are you running?!"

Speeding up, I felt my feet lead me to my house by memory as I concentrated on controlling my own emotions.

The feeling of anguish threatened to take over my entire body.

"_I've gotta hurry." _That, besides Kairi, was the only thing on my mind.

The second my house came into view, I sprinted at full-speed toward it and practically kicked in the door to let myself in.

It happened again, though.

The second I burst into the door, my tears came out. I fell to my knees in agony as the mental stress set in.

These weren't just tears, either. They were genuine sobs of grief and torment.

I hadn't locked the door behind me, I realized, as Mako opened it.

"What…?"

I could almost imagine his eyes widening in confusion, but I soon didn't need to.

Mako had knelt down in front of me as my tears kept coming. Those green eyes stared at me with a sorrow that I'd never seen before.

Many mixed emotions fluttered in his eyes as he watched me continue to cry. He understood.

"Haru… I'm sorry you had to hide your feelings from me. I should have understood and left you alone."

My head began to pound with every second I'd spent with Kairi, again.

"I'm sorry," My voice came out as a quiet whisper, and to be honest, I really couldn't believe it was mine. "I'm so sorry, it's my fault…"

Mako shook his head and laid his hand on my shoulder.

"No, it's not your fault. I'm sorry I didn't understand sooner. I can leave and come back later, okay?"

I nodded, feeling my hands wander up to my face to wipe my eyes as my crying reduced to small hiccups in 15 second increments.

Mako seemed as though he tried to smile at me as he stood up, slowly, but I could see the obvious pain in his eyes.

He felt the same way that I did.

Mako stood at the door and turned around to face me for a moment.

"I'll text you when I'm coming over, a-alright?"

My eyes widened in shock. _"Mako never stutters."_

His voice had wavered in hurt and misery right in front of me. My own crying ceased as his lip began to tremble slightly.

Mako turned away awkwardly as he hurried out of the door and across my front yard.

That was all I saw in the midst of my door closing so slowly.

As soon as it was all the way closed, I looked up at the sky. It must have been at _least_ noon.

"_I can't sleep, I can't…"_

My mind seemed to run out of ideas at the first one as my hands started shaking. Kairi was literally possessing my mind. I couldn't stop thinking about her long enough to take a breath, and when I _did_ think about her, I began crying.

"_I can't believe I let Rin get away with killing her…"_

**Kairi's POV**

As I finally picked it up, it suddenly flew out of my hand.

"What the hell? To think I got out of there to rescue you, only to find out you're trying to kill yourself…"

"_Who…?"_

I looked up, through the haze of what I thought was impending death, and I saw the one person I'd have never thought I'd see again.

A red-headed figure toward above me as his right hand covered my mouth to prevent me from screaming and his left was curled around my left arm to prevent me from lashing out at him, like I should have.

"_No… is he here to kill me…?"_

The faint memory of the night before haunted me as he seemed to reluctantly loosen his grip on me.

"Okay, slut, believe it or not, I'm here to get both of us out of this fucking mess."

I shook my head in disbelief.

"_There's no way that he's here to rescue me. No way…"_

After all, he'd saved me from committing suicide right then and there.

"C'mon, I'm here to get your ass and my ass out of this one."

"But… I thought you were-"

"Are you _really_ gonna question things? It's not supposed to end that way, Kairi. I'm gonna get you out of here."

My eyes widened at his different tone. The days I'd spent with him didn't reflect his tone as he spoke to me.

Rin sounded as though he cared about what happened to me; as if he _wanted_ to actually help me.

I slowly nodded as he led me out of the hospital, sneaking around corners and dodging nurses.

"_Rin… why's he helping me…?"_

My confusion mounted as he turned back to me again. "Once we get outside, we split. Go home, though. Don't hang around here."

"W-why…?"

I dared to ask the question and his eyes became fire within moments. "Do you really wanna find out? It's not gonna be good, so I want to get you the hell out of here."

Without another word, Rin pulled me into a nearby storage area and closed the door behind us. The crack in the door gave me just enough light to catch his eyes and a lock of his hair.

"Kairi, it's not my fault. I'm sorry, Kairi. It _is_ my fault about yesterday, but… it's not my fault, I thought it was for the best…"

His rambling only made me become more lost. "What…?"

Rin shook his head rapidly. "It wasn't right what I did to you, okay? It was damn wrong, and I'm sorry! I can't believe I thought it was for the best…"

His sudden change of heart had my heart stopped for what seemed like hours.

"_Last night… he was ruthless. He truly wanted to kill me. He truly wanted me dead. Now… he's a completely different person. Rin regrets what he did to me."_

My instincts told me that I shouldn't trust him, but I felt myself slowly nod as he put his hand on the doorknob.

"Stay away from the one causing you so much trouble!" He warned me as I shook my head.

"W-what are you…?"

"Listen, I can't tell you because I'll be killed, too! Just… be careful of who your friends are, okay?"

I had no idea what he meant, but I nodded nonetheless. There was no way I'd disregard such curious and ominous words.

"_What if he's-"_

My thought didn't get enough time to finish its thought as Rin turned to me. "The moment we get out, just run to your house, and don't stop. I don't care what happens, just get there as soon as you can. Stay with a friend, if possible."

His warning only seemed to worry me as he counted down to one.

As soon as he hit that magic number, we were off.

I hit that fresh air, and, despite my head wound and my minor lacerations, I hauled ass down the street.

* * *

What a chapter. Bet you're all confused now, huh? Don't worry, that's my job.

Finally working full-time on stories with my free time. Like KHR? Check out my latest; Helpless. I'll be updating that one in turn with this one.

As for reviews, very very _very_ much appreciated. X3


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